The contrast in my mind was stark<\/p>\n On this brisk, rainy February morning at the beach<\/p>\n By summer Frisbees will be flying<\/p>\n Music playing under colorful umbrellas<\/p>\n The smell of Coppertone<\/p>\n Kids splashing in the surf<\/p>\n A seaside calliope<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n But here and now the beach is empty<\/p>\n Save for an occasional walker and his dog<\/p>\n And a lonely surfer in a wet suit<\/p>\n A light rain drips off my wide brim hat<\/p>\n As I look for a place to take refuge<\/p>\n In the solitude of this chilly ashen day<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n I walk down a deserted beach<\/p>\n A leaden sky hangs over a steel gray ocean<\/p>\n Making it difficult to tell where the water stops<\/p>\n And the sky begins<\/p>\n A blurred horizon<\/p>\n My nostrils widen as the scent of salt rents the air<\/p>\n I pull my collar up against the morning chill<\/p>\n And affix my hat securely<\/p>\n Against the off-shore breeze<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n The smell of coffee<\/p>\n Draws me to a beachside caf\u00e9<\/p>\n I find comfort on a sheltered bench<\/p>\n And gaze pensively at the horizon<\/p>\n I am drawn to the mercurial surf<\/p>\n Rushing in with such urgency<\/p>\n Then thunderously breaking on shore<\/p>\n Only to retreat in an easy measured cadence<\/p>\n Natures melody of moving water<\/p>\n Music to my ears<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n The cup of coffee warms my hands<\/p>\n As I listen to the steady pattern of the surf<\/p>\n Hypnotic in its redundant rhythm<\/p>\n I fix my stare on that blurred horizon<\/p>\n The vastness of the ocean gives me pause<\/p>\n I feel at once tiny and inconsequential<\/p>\n And yet significant enough to be connected<\/p>\n To all of this in some universal way<\/p>\n As the leading player in my own life<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n In spite of pounding surf and an occasional squawking seagull<\/p>\n There is a quiet serenity pervading the coast<\/p>\n Alone and uninterrupted<\/p>\n It feels good to be here<\/p>\n I solemnly contemplate those resolutions<\/p>\n I made just over a month ago<\/p>\n And affirm that they\u2019ll find purchase in this new year<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n I turn and walk back to the busy street<\/p>\n Cars rushing by and people hustling to work<\/p>\n Punctuate the pleasure of my time alone<\/p>\n It\u2019s was good to get away even for a little while<\/p>\n To think, to get perspective<\/p>\n To recharge batteries<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n It\u2019s going to be a good year<\/p>\n If I make it so<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow We\u2019ve had our share of rain this year, thank God! On one of those cold, rainy February mornings here in southern California I headed to the coast, thinking it would be a great place to get perspective. … read more![](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/beach.jpeg\")
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