“Lulled by the gentle, hypnotic rhythm of the surf, humbled by the vast number of stars in the sky.” – Me

Mexico – June 2009

We arrive at the resort in the late afternoon. The usual check-in process, and then off for dinner and a walk through the grounds to see what is new. It doesn’t matter which path we take or direction we walk. The destination is the same;  the beach.  Back home, humidity of this level would be cause for complaint. But here, on the beach the air isn’t “humid” it is somehow silky and of the sea.  The wind is strong – almost pushing its way into my lungs. “Breathe me in!”  The sound of the water is roaring – we can’t see the beach yet, but the sound is there. Calling us to continue down the boardwalk.

The unwritten rule is to be barefoot in the sand…maybe its written somewhere too, I don’t know.  At the edge of the path, abiding by the rule, I comply. Slipping out of sandals. One foot, then the next plunges into the cool sand. I sink. My posture goes limp. I am planted here in the moment. I am still on that cusp of vacation… after all, that same morning I was rushing to pack as usual and still had the stresses of work on my shoulders.  Now the stresses seem to press through me. Is the sand absorbing them? I am lightened.

This night there is a full moon. We stroll towards the water’s edge. It’s magnetic. The waves are active – capped with frosted tops that disappear when they reach the shore.  We are in awe of the moon. I’ve read books, poems, seen movies all portraying this silver lit moon. But here, before me hovering over the Caribbean Sea is this glowing orb hanging as if by magic, begging us to sit and to dream a little.

Here at the edge of the shore every sense is engaged; the soft feel of the sand – – grains flowing through my fingers. The wind pulls freely across my face and through my hair. The air still carries the fragrance of exotic coconut oils of beachgoers earlier in the day; and mixes with the salty smell of water now. The waves muffle all but my own thoughts.

I am overcome. Something pulls at my core. Could it be the very same force that moves the tide is also stirring my own being? It’s so easy to let the air and the surf and the light of the moon put us in our right place. Our true place. I am convinced that saltwater soothes my soul.

We linger here for a while and do little more than breathe.  And be….. On vacation. Happiness.