Escape To The Seaside (Extended Version)

During my recovery I often visited nature.

Join me now on a journey of rejuvenation.

Rejuvenation by the seaside.

Our journey starts on top of the headland by the sea.

Whilst the wind is strong,

A little cold perhaps,

A little uncomfortable,

Join me to take a moment to find out what is positive despite the discomfort.

A moment to explore and to discover and to take in the splendour.

As you look out to sea,

You see the whitecaps of the waves padded by the wind.

And as you look to the beach to the south,

You see the salt mist sweeping the landscape.

You see the swirling sand moving up the dunes.

To the north,

Your view is blocked by trees,

So you move up the headland despite the wind,

Despite the discomfort.

Looking for change.

Looking for a new path you haven't been on before.

And as you do,

The sound of the ocean joins in chorus to the wind.

Take a deep breath now,

Letting the healing salt air permeate your lungs.

And as you approach the top,

You see a gap to the north and the most unexpected vista.

A calm,

Smooth ocean,

Clear air,

A landscape protected from the onslaught of the wind by the very headland that you have climbed.

As you squint through the salt spray,

You look behind you,

You look backwards.

Is it all too hard?

Is it time to head back?

Make a choice.

You choose to move forward and take just one little step forward.

And then another step.

And another.

And as you take steps forward,

You notice that you're on a slight decline,

Making each step easier to walk now.

You suddenly see a gap in a brush,

A path.

As soon as you take a few steps through the soft grass,

The wind eases just a little.

Each step easier than the last.

Each step giving you more shelter from the wind,

Feeling warmer.

Each step becoming more solid as the squishy grass becomes thinner,

Worn down by those who have gone before you.

As you enter the coastal woodland,

New sounds appear.

The ground is a little uneven,

So you watch your step and step between the rocks,

Slowly,

Carefully,

Safely.

With every step you take,

The ground gets smoother,

More solid,

Less rocks,

Safer.

More comfortable,

Familiar somehow.

And as you walk,

You notice how the sun flickers through the palms and other trees.

You stop.

You smile.

You appreciate the beauty of this place.

You notice the smell of the earth.

It must have rained this morning.

The smell of the flowers.

And then two birds are flying towards you and land on a branch a few meters from you.

They're rainbow lorikeets.

You're still,

Calm,

Looking at the beautiful colors of these wonderful birds.

They're bright green wings,

Bright blue faces and bellies,

Beautiful yellow and orange chests and bright red beaks.

Almost too beautiful to be real.

They hang upside down,

Whilst nibbling on a flower.

The four flying off again.

You move on.

And as the path opens,

You come to a small clearing,

Shouldering the headland,

Leading to rock pools below and to the beach to the north.

You take a moment to sit on a comfortable rock under the shelter of a large pandanus palm,

Admiring its rough,

Pocked bark,

Its crowns of strap-shaped leaves and its magnificent pyramidal root structure.

And as you do,

You notice yourself feeling calmer,

Feeling safer,

Feeling more positive.

Letting go of your worries,

Your concerns,

Your stories.

A flock of seagulls takes off from the beach below and head out to sea.

A few head your way.

Again you notice how pleasant it smells,

How fresh the air is,

The smell of the salt in the air,

A tinge of seaweed from the rock pools below.

As you enjoy the peace,

You see a bird,

A large bird of prey,

Copper and white,

Majestically soaring towards the headland.

It glides closer and closer.

A Brahmi kite,

Its strong,

Coppery wings,

Easily holding it in the air currents.

And as suddenly as it appeared,

It disappears.

You realize that there is a difference between looking and seeing,

Between listening and hearing,

Between believing and knowing.

And as you connect with everything around you,

All the sensations,

You let go of your thoughts,

Your worries,

Your fears.

You simply be.

As you notice the morning sun glittering on the waves,

Reflecting off the rock pools below,

You notice the seagulls diving into the sea a mere hundred meters offshore,

Perhaps even closer.

The first one,

Then another,

And another,

In a beautiful rhythm,

The dance swings slow,

Then faster,

Separate,

Then together.

The ocean looks darker where the gulls are diving,

So you decide to walk down to the low cliffs above the rock pools besides the beach,

Keeping a safe distance from the edge.

And as you do,

The cacophony of the ocean is surpassed by the sound of singular waves,

Reaching their final destination upon the shore.

You come as close to the birds as you can,

Watch them disappear into the sea one by one,

Only to reappear with a sardine and beak.

How lucky you feel to witness their triumph,

When all of a sudden the water parts the water and a large mass rolls across the surface of the sea,

Slowly,

Gracefully.

It's a humpback whale.

You stare in wonder at the beauty of the gigantic beast and the massive spray it sends towards the sky before disappearing again.

It's reappearing and disappearing,

All in tandem to the dives of the sea gulls.

And just as suddenly as it started,

It all stops again.

The whales move off,

The birds fly away.

You are reminded about the cyclical nature of life,

Just like the waves come and go,

Just like the sun and the moon and the tides,

Life has a rhythm.

Challenging times followed by easy times,

Sad times followed by happy times,

Wintery days followed by summery days.

And as you sit,

Listening to the rhythms of nature,

You see the whale breaching in the distance.

Its black and white body out of the water,

Splashing into the sea,

Leaving a white reflection of the spray,

Visible at a great distance.

Like a farewell,

A goodbye,

A see you soon.

Another breach,

Then another,

Another blow,

Then two together,

Two whales,

Not one.

It would have been easy to think it was a journey of solitude,

But there's always another making the same.

And as you mindfully observe this wonderful place,

You notice the calm growing within you.

Notice the feeling of the rock against your buttocks and legs,

Their warmth,

The warmth of the sun on your face and your arms.

Only the slightest breeze now,

Soft against your face,

Caressing your skin,

Feeling warm and calm,

At peace,

Listening to the sounds of nature.

Looking at the ocean,

The reflections of the sun,

The rolling in of the waves on the beach,

Spilling,

Dissipating.

Looking at the waves landing on the rock pools below,

Refreshing the pools with clean,

Cool water,

Washing the old warm waters out to be refreshed,

Recycled,

Rejuvenated.

And as you look closer,

You see movements in the pools,

Colours,

So you go in for a closer look,

Slowly,

Safely,

Enjoying the shelter of the cliffs behind you.

When you arrive,

You sit comfortably and survey the pool.

At first,

It seems empty.

Just a moss,

Uneventful.

But the longer you sit,

The more you look past the reflections.

The more you look at the pool from different angles and the more you see.

You see coral,

First one type,

Then another.

You see grasses,

Bright green,

Almost fluoro,

And darker ones too,

Different shades.

Then you spot the first fish,

Plain grey ones at first,

But actually not plain when you take a closer look.

One large horizontal stripe,

White and black.

Then another fish,

Vertically striped,

Like a zebra.

More and more fish,

Like magic appearing before you.

Different colours,

Different shapes.

Long and skinny,

Short and round,

And one that even looks like a large tadpole.

You wonder where they were when you first arrived.

Had you not seen them,

Or were they hidden?

Or had you not seen them?

You notice the value of taking your time to look carefully,

Of gaining different perspectives.

Being upwind and downwind.

Into the sun and with it behind you.

In the shade and in the bright sunlight.

You are so pleased you brought your polarised sunglasses,

Allowing you to see below the surface of the water.

Beautiful,

Amazing.

Just when you think you have seen all there is to see,

A crab appears.

Coming sideways along the water's edge,

Nudging out into the sun before disappearing beyond a ledge.

As you look up towards the sky,

You see the gulls,

Not one,

But two flocks.

One all white and one with black heads and necks.

Two flocks,

Separate,

But together.

Exploration allows you a new perspective.

As you look back at the headland,

Look at the cliffs,

Look at the beach.

You see them in a new way,

From a new angle,

A new beauty.

Not at all like the blustery,

Unwelcoming place you started at.

And yet,

It's the same place,

Just from a different viewpoint.

You notice the beach does not join the rock pools,

But it is separated by a body of water.

You're feeling good,

You're feeling refreshed.

You go to take a closer look,

To explore.

And as you walk along,

You notice the change in sounds of the waves.

You no longer landing on hard rocks,

But now splaying across smooth sands.

The closer you get to the beach,

The more obvious it becomes.

There's an inlet of a small river that winds its way along the shore before making its way inland.

The water is still,

Like a mirror,

Smooth,

Perfect.

As you get to the beach,

You might even decide to remove your shoes if you like the feel of the sand.

Or you might walk in your sandals,

Along into the shallow water,

Feeling the perfect temperature.

You notice the subtle changes in the water's temperature as you traverse the warm,

Shallow pools to get to the edge of the deeper channel.

You find a spot where the sand reaches the edge of the deep channel,

Right near the entrance,

Right at the beach.

And as you reach the water's edge,

You can see right through the beautiful turquoise water,

Right to the sandy bottom.

Beautiful.

Crystal clear.

Along the edge,

You see fish.

First one.

Then another.

Then another.

Whiteing,

Light brown,

Barely discernible from the sand.

Still clear water,

Flowing silently like it does every day with the tide and the moon.

More fish,

Bring them,

Darting along the weed beds.

You pause and observe the beauty of this place,

The solitude,

The harmony,

The balance.

Feel the wonderful temperature of the water lapping against your feet,

Invigorating you.

Notice the clean,

Cool,

Salty air soothing you.

For a moment,

An offshore breeze caresses your face.

And you wonder if you heard something new,

So you make your way along the river.

Riding along the sand,

Through shallow pools.

Feeling warm,

Exploring the wonders of nature.

As you walk along,

You can make out the direction of the sound.

You look towards the headland that flattens along the river.

You see movement.

It's here,

Long hair.

And as you approach,

You see the blue jeans,

The white shirt,

The bare feet and the smiling face of a musician playing in harmony with the sounds of nature.

And you wonder if you heard something new,

So you make your way along the river.

With a mutual nod and a smile,

You continue along the river.

To a narrow beach,

Hugged by flat rocks,

Nestled along a green forest.

You find a perfect spot,

Facing the river.

A perfect rock,

As if made just for sitting.

And you sit against the rock,

Lean back onto it.

The warmth of the sand and the rock penetrating your body.

Soothing,

A warm,

Healing energy.

And as you relax,

You notice the kite again,

Circling a few hundred feet from you.

And as you relax,

Becoming mindful,

You notice the smooth river.

And you become aware of a sound.

It is the sound of a lone wave rolling along the shore.

Spilling perfectly,

Like a miniature version of every surface dream.

First one,

Then another.

Sounding so strange,

So unreal,

Almost perfect.

Spilling with perfection.

And just like they came,

They disappear in the natural rhythms of the sea.

And they will remain until another set will arrive.

Allowing you to focus on the calm,

The views,

The feelings of warmth and the sounds.

Soothing,

A warm,

Healing energy.

And as you relax,

Becoming mindful,

You notice the smooth river.

And as you relax,

Becoming mindful,

Almost perfect.