The beach is calling. Will you pick up?

The summer is winding down. My wife is already back to school. Fall is almost here. I went outside the other night and the temperature felt like it had taken a dip. I’m not sure when or how, but my hope is that we can make one last trip to the beach.

We’ll see if I can pull a rabbit out of a hat.

In the meantime, here are a few truisms about the beach or shore or whatever you call it that I’ve learned over the years:

• Sand gets in everywhere and I mean everywhere.
• I don’t care what the weatherman says, the water is never warm enough. I’ve been to the Caribbean. I’ve touched the Pacific and the Atlantic. I’ve looked longingly at the Mediterranean. I’ve even stepped foot into several large lakes. Lake Erie and Ontario come to mind. The water is never as warm as you expect.
• One short walk on the beach soothes the soul. When the beach sends a direct call to my heart and soul, I have to go. The beach and mountains are the only things that have that power.

• The sun will always find you. It will always find the one spot that you forgot to cover or put suntan lotion.
• Kindness and seashells are the entry fee to heaven.
• There are different types of beaches and beach towns. There are ones with tacky commercial shops, others with snobby, high-priced boutiques. There are rocky beaches and others with sandy dunes. There are private beaches far from probing eyes. There are others where the sand is so wide that the ocean feels like it’s miles away. There are beaches for every taste. You have your pick of Cape May, New Jersey or Santa Barbara, California; Keywest, Florida or Newport Beach, California; Bar Harbor, Maine or Long Beach, Washington or a million other places. Beaches all have one thing in common: They call us.

• Sunrises and sunsets over water are some of the most powerful medicines in the world. They have a unique healing power.
• Jelly Fish look amazing, but don’t be fooled. They are on the smaller size and gelatinous but Jaws is their hero. They want to be a Great White Shark when they grow up.
• No matter how many precautions you take, your keys, phone, and water bottle will end up in the sand. It is unavoidable. It’s not a question of “if,” but “when.”
• The poem Footprints uses the imagery of a dream. In this dream, someone walks with God and sees only one set of footprints in the sand during difficult times. It’s during these times when God is carrying them. The poem takes place at the beach because most folks love the beach. No one wants footprints in the snow. No one wants to cry out: “Take me now Lord. The temp dipped to ten below zero last night and the snowdrifts are up to my shoulders!”
• Summer is amazing at the beach. But Spring, Fall and Winter aren’t too bad either.

• Sea gulls are crazy little buggers. They’re the treacherous thieves and bank robbers of the oceanic world. Have you seen them on the boardwalk? I would use stronger language to describe them, but this is a family blog.
• The number of signs on the beach don’t matter. Someone will always swim where they’re not supposed to swim and someone will always play their boom box too loud.
• Napping at the beach is different than anywhere else in the world. When I close my eyes and take everything in at the beach, my thoughts drift away. I hear the waves crashing to the shore and nothing else. I’m in another place. I don’t even have to fall asleep. I wake up calmer and more at peace. The waves help me get back to me.
• There are no bad days at the beach.

I feel a day trip coming this weekend or next. Now to convince my wife. Who’s with me?

All Images by Pexels.