Shore Time

About 7 years ago, Offspring #2 and I were traveling in England. We talked with a man who lived in the English countryside. We told him where we lived. My short cut in England for that question was, "Northern center of the nation, next to Canada." People there seemed to understand that the quickest. He asked me how I could stand to be so far from the sea. He said he needs to see the sea. I told him I grew up never seeing the sea and didn't know anything different. Ever since that conversation, I treasure my time near the sea. I've been on the west coast and the east coast this year. Seeing both coasts in one year has happened to me only once before. When I get the chance to see the ocean, I spend time just soaking in the crash of the waves and the smell of salt air. I watch the tide come in and the tide go out like the earth's long, deep breaths. I walk in the water and gaze out to sea. I know I'll have to wait a long time before I see the sea again.