The beach was my 2021 refuge

Dear World,

Some of you would have already entered 2022 Some of you are still waiting for 2021 to end.

It’s currently 9:08 pm on December 31, 2021. I’m reflecting on the year that was and my mind continues to go back to the beach.

This year, I’ve probably seen more beaches than the number of years I’ve been on Earth. For that I am grateful.

For me, the beach is reminiscent of life. There are high tides, low tides, swash, backwash – waves, stillness, shallow and deep waters, magical views and haunting imagery.

Through and through, though, the beach will always be a place of refuge despite all the activity around.

I find that poetry is in motion whenever I go to the beach. I see my struggles represented in the manner nature shows herself to me. The high tides and low tides represent moments of turmoil and moments of serenity. The waves and the still waters represent the roller coaster-topsy turvy moments of my life. The view on the horizon represents the hope of a brighter tomorrow.

Despite all the action, metaphorical depictions and pathetic fallacies, sitting by the shore and laying by the beach with my sunblock rubbed in, sun shades on and a drink in hand, I feel safe. I feel unjudged and I feel unbothered.

It could be the audio therapy of the wind through the palm trees or the waves crashing. Whatever it is, it’s soothing. It’s almost like the soothe you feel after aloe vera is placed on sunburnt skin. It cools heated moments and quietens my anger. I feel renewed and refreshed whenever I go. You know, self-care.

It could also be the way a beach if left untouched, can either erode or build on itself with the push and pull and creation of sand that makes up the shoreline. It’s intriguing, frightening and at the same time, relaxing.

A quick and rocky lesson in geography: a beach forms when waves deposit sand and gravel along the shoreline. Over time they are worn smooth from being rolled around by waves.

For this reason, I love the beach. That’s why I intentionally sought beaches with amazing views all year. Next to actual therapy, this therapy has worked wonders as well.

Cheers to more beach seeking in 2022.

Happy New Year!!

*Though some amount of educational facts are shared, the content here is based on how I perceive the world. There’s no real empirical anything here, only feelings and suppositions. Glad to have gotten that out the way

Signed with love,

The Suburban Girl JA