A Day at the Beach

Hey there!

It's nice to catch up again! :)

 I hope life is being good to you and vice versa!

My topic for inspiration today is "The Beach":

I have loved the beach ever since I was a toddler.Spent countless hours down there with my mum, dad and sisters in the early days.Had many surf adventures with mates growing up, still have a surf now and again ,but mostly these days Saturday morning beach jogging and Sunday walks.

I'm fortunate enough to live walking distance to a beautiful beach nowadays and never stop reflecting on how lucky I am,  and probably never will.

This is my take on a 'Day at the Beach':

We have been having a particularly hot summer and our local beach has been drawing big crowds of people from far and wide.The usual cross sections of creeds,colours and religious persuasions take up residence on the beach.There are family groups,couples,groups of young men,groups of young women and many mixed groups all coexisting beautifully down the beach.

The last time I went down the beach on a hot day, I went solo,  apart from my trusty ipod (my favourite possesion in the whole world) and we had a wonderful afternoon together.

When you do go down to a place like the beach on your own it really opens up your awareness and observation powers because you aren't tuning in to any company at the time.

The thing that stood out to me above all,  was that everyone was having fun! The working week was over,   people just left their troubles behind them and magically transposed into a totally different head space.

The instant civilisation that materialises on the beach once the weather gets hot is quite incredible.
Everybody stakes out their plot of  sand that they will call home for the period they will inhabit the beach and sets up their own little kingdom.

Some travel light like me,  and my plot just contains a towel, with, a backpack, a pair of thongs(flip flops) a
hat,shirt and sunglasses,  marking my territory.Others travel in bigger family groups and come down with the idea of replicating their family home on the beach, with massive tents and other belongings that require about a half acre of sand space to set up.

Everywhere on the sand people are just chilling out, having a laugh, a cuddle, a soccer match, building sandcastles or dozing off dreaming of how they can make this day last forever.

The scene in the water is much the same.The coolness of the water is very refreshing and the weightlessness everyone is experiencing is making them all very relaxed and peaceful.The adrenaline junkies are out in deeper water on their jet ski's tearing around,  having a blast on their own aquatic grand prix track.

Ball games continue out in the water as well as on the sand and you occasionally have to dodge out of the way of an errant missile heading towards your head.But you know what? No one cares at the beach.It's just such a relaxed atmosphere. I bet the pharmacists wish they could bottle it.They could market it as "Instant Beach Vibe", just spray it on.

I find the beach one of the best places to meditate.Especially when you have that refreshed feeling with,  you just after a swim.There can be literally thousands of people on the beach,  but the acoustics are such, with the open space and water surrounding, you hardly notice the noise.It just seems like a peaceful hum of positive energy in the background.The sounds of people having fun.

The only adversaries you have to face up to on a day at  the beach,  apart from the burning properties of the sun, are sand occasionally getting in to unsealed parts of your body and a few pesky flies.All things that can be overcome.

I asked my Nana (a very wise women) once, what the purpose of flies was? She answered that god created the flies,  so that lazy people would exercise and  keep fit. I said "Fair enough Nana!,Good answer and I'll go with that!"

One of the greatest joys for me at the beach is watching the dogs and the seagulls. Dogs are allowed on the beach in the summer,  during the morning hours.When I go jogging on the beach Saturday mornings there are usually hundreds of dogs,  all shapes sizes,  out there doing there thing,  chaperoned by their owners.They keep me sharp when I'm running too because I often have to hurdle a few of them, here and there.

They just seem to be having the best time ever swimming, playing ball games, frolicking around with their friends.No different to the humans that take up residence later in the day.They certainly capture the same  "beach vibe" we all do.

Seagulls just seem the coolest creatures ever.They just hangout with their friends, do a bit of scrounging around and take in what's going on around them.A few of them may be missing a leg here or there but it doesn't seem to worry them particularly.

 I love watching them fly! They look magnificent the way the catch the updraft of the wind before they land and they make flight look so effortless.They certainly know their stuff!

What would be a positive goal for all of us would be to take that "beach vibe" (and of course any rubbish we have) away with us from the beach, so that during the work week in the office and out in traffic we can be relaxed and exist just as harmoniously with those around us.

Anyway, that's my take on the beach!

If you are not able to get to the beach similar principles apply to a day in the countryside ,lake ,park , market etc.

Hope you are finding plenty of things and people to inspire you in your life! :)

Talk soon! :)

The Inspirator