A week in the life

Have you ever drawn a parallel between nature and personal feelings?

Look at the beauty of Kiawah. For how could you miss the anticipation of the first time you see the ocean, and being pummeled by the first wave?   Or taking that left turn from route 17 to Bohicket Rd. (State RD S-10-20 or Main Rd) and starting that gradual incline over the bridge while viewing the expansive Ashleigh (Ashley) river, marshes, and tributaries. Followed by the tunnel of trees and being mesmerized by the continuous flashes of sun and shade in your eyes and finally pass the big red tractor at farmers market, enter the round-about and you have arrived.  

Pay attention to the small things, every day take the time to appreciate the many natural and personal gifts that have been bestowed on us. For example: On Saturday as you are taking your first trip to the beach close your eyes, empty your mind (this should be easy) take a deep breath and notice how quiet it is, cherish the anticipation of what new experiences you will  encounter in the upcoming week, feel the air, listen to crickets, and most of all relax. Soon you will enter the “twilight Zone” now that you are in the zone (Rex might help with this) remove your shoes, sunglasses and IPod thus enabling you to fully experience what has been given you.  Now and only now you are ready to be accepted by the beach. Experience the texture and heat of the  asphalt, the cooling but yet still warm water in the puddles, listen intently you will start to hear the breaking waves, your eyes will experience the change from shade to the brilliance of the full sun. Asphalt will become wood, watch as the salamanders colors change from the intensity of the sun. Now you notice wood beneath your feet, as it becomes warmer and gritty, stop and take inventory of the changes around you. The change in the air, strong breeze, the sounds are no longer dominated by crickets but replaced by the rhythm of the ocean, stretch your eyes over the water to see hundreds of shades of green, look at the beach and feel the intense reflection.  Continue towards the water noticing that the wood turns to sand from uneven to smooth, from hot to warm to cool, you have now reached nirvana.  Early Sunday morning (Now we are back to the itinerary)   notice that the windows are all completely covered with dew. Step outside on your deck; and once again you will be transformed into yet a different world. Everything is wet, railings, floor, trees, spider webs, grass, walkways, feel how heavy the air seems after spending a long night in modern comforts, if you listen intently you hear the faint rumblings of the ocean, you might see a gator possibly a deer, or even a mountain lion, if you have been a good little boy or girl all year and if you are very quiet and patient you might hear the faint crow of a rooster. (Still on the itinerary)   Grab a cup of coffee then walk to the beach there you will experience: flowers opening to greet the sun,  turtles scurrying  for the open water, dolphins swimming, sand crabs, seagulls, and shrimp boats,  all while the sun  appears over the horizon. (Still on the itinerary)    Then do the same things that night, feel the cool breeze, listen to the surf, watch the reflections of the moon, as you see the ever changing patterns of foam on the beach.

On one of the last days do the same thing, (Still on the itinerary)   What do you see now, remember we are still at the same locations with the same people have things changed, or have you become a  hardened irritable grumpy old stiff grouch, because nothing has changes other than the  anticipation. Instead of enjoying the left turn, you have now turned right.  Now you don’t smell the coffee you need a cup, your first step on the deck is ghastly as you try to get your first breath of the humid air. Listen for the first crow of the rooster as the mountain lion growls as he is awakened by some fool dumping his recycling in the dumpster.  You hear the rooster crow again, as the deer are startled by your neighbor rev’n up his SUV. Once again you hear the rooster crow a third time as the 10 foot gator, you have seen each morning dives back in the pond as some idiot comes cycling down the path as his overloaded  trail  is hurtled into the pond. Now  your morning walk on the beach: the sun, I guess it is up there somewhere in the clouds, the flowers there gone, some kid picked them he was bored, seagulls there by the thousands (guess what is all over the beach now) that same kid has a bag of pop corn, the turtles no sign of them, shrimp boats all you hears is the dull humming of the diesel engines and see  long sting of black smoke. Time for the beach, you gather  your towel, chairs, books, (umbrella for one of you) etc. load up and start off to the beach for the day!  You are first struck by how many cars; do you think any of them would give you a break?  Forget hearing the ocean, now you hear an ocean of A/C. This time of the week your really starting to feel the heat, the chairs feel as if they weigh 20 pounds each, beach bag another 5 pounds and your towel 2 pounds. Every step you take the chair hits your legs, your (dogs are a barking) feet are killing you from asphalt , wood and sand, you trip over bikes, boogie boards and chairs that other vacationers have so kindly left in your path, all to reach a destination where you look for “place in the sand”.  You finally find your spot dump your junk, wipe the sweat from your eyes, walk down to the water, tide is out so you burn the bottoms of your feet, get hit in the back by an errant Frisbee, get run over by some old man on a bike, trip over a boogie board and fall on your butt, to find out the water  is warmer and calmer than the shower you just took. The night walk (Still on the itinerary)   now consists of: the moon? No that’s the light of the Charleston sewage treatment plant, (were you really thinking that was foam on the water)! Now you have to walk tight rope on one side “foam” the other side you might break your leg by falling into a turtle catching pit that some idiot spend the past several days digging.

er become detached and

Words of wisdom:

Learn from time, don’t let time learn from you.