Hearing Voices
Today was one of those quintessentially beautiful Dana Point mornings. There were no clouds in the sky and warm. I left for the Strand parking lot at 6:15. I started things off with a run from the parking lot to Heritage park to the Wind and Sea restaurant in the harbor, then out to the harbor island and finally up cove road and back to the beach parking lot.
I change into my swim trunks and the bathroom is a bit of a disaster. The maintenance crew is already here and cleaning it up. I have to say that the Dana Point public restrooms are generally very clean. Definitely better than I have seen at San Clemente or in the State Park at Doheny which is technically in Dana Point but probably under state maintenance.
I make my way down the stairs and the beach comes into view. It is absolutely gorgeous. The ocean surface is super smooth and it is a negative low tide exposing a wide berth of sand and shallow reflective shore line. It is as if the ocean beckons, “take refuge in me and find rest.”
I am running to the water not because I am excited to get in (which I actually am) but because I’m in a bit of a hurry. I plan to head straight from my swim to church and so I am on a schedule. I start to swim and my arms are feeling a bit tired but not so much that things are a struggle. Overall this is extremely pleasant. The sun is bright and not far above the cliff at the end of the parking lot. So I can’t make out the individual houses very well with the sun in my eyes. I eventually pass the OCJG buoy so I know I’m getting somewhat close to the Southern end of the swim. I reach my turnaround point and the ocean gives way to a beautiful low tide landscape at the Southern cliffs. The surf is pretty gentle today. I’m just about 20 feet from the exposed rocks at the base of the cliff. I watch the water level rise and fall with each passing wave over these mollusk covered rocks separated by floating seaweed. I soak in this view and then turn around.
I’m simply focusing on opening my heart as I swim. I envision it shedding its husk and exposing itself to the energy the ocean has to give. Open…open…open…with each stroke. Feel the water as it passes through me. Feel the leaves of kelp brush from my head to my toes as I pass over them. For some reason I’m swimming further out that usual today and there is a whole lot of floating kelp out here. I like it. One moment I am in a blue void and then a shadow emerges in the distance. Slowly it begins to take on definition and form and looks like a plume of leaves and vines stretching up from the dark ocean floor. I approach it and allow myself to get entangled. Then it is gone and the experience is repeated over and over again.
I finally approach the Northern end of the swim. Here is Big Bob, another one of the Jr. Lifeguard buoys. The Green Monster is not far and I reach it where I pause for a moment to take in the view and what I thought would be silence. However I hear voices from two separate sources. There is a surf competition going on at Salt Creek and an announcer is announcing something. There is also a recreational fishing tour boat out not much farther from where I am and there is a voice over its loud speaker saying something. I can’t make out what is being said which is fine since I am not the intended audience. It’s still peaceful out here.
As I turn to head South, I see about a half dozen kayaks approaching me. We bid each other good morning. I finish off my swim, hustle up the stairs and it looks like I am making good time. Plenty of time to stop for coffee on the way to church. I brought a sweatshirt just in case because the last time I went straight from my swim to church, it took a while to warm up but the water temperature was about 60 back then. This is not a problem today. No need for the sweatshirt. As I am showering off just outside the bathroom, there is someone else showering off as well. We say “hi” and “how are you.” He says that he imagines there are worse places he could be this morning. Yes, I imagine so.
