Sun Like a Pelican
I left a little before 11:00 and I would have left even sooner if I could have made up my mind sooner as to whether to run or swim. Deep down I wanted to swim but felt like I should run which takes less time and leaves me with more time to get work done. Like a crazy person, I put on my bathing suit, then swapped that out for running shorts, shoes and socks and finally just as I am heading out my bedroom, I turn back and change into my swim trunks again. I know I should spend more time working but I envision how I will feel getting out of the water and I am now in pursuit of that feeling. Yeah a run can feel great, but I just know it’s not going to come close to how I will feel after a swim.
So I make myself a promise/compromise/bargain and I’m not sure if I can keep it: today’s post is going to be short - just a few paragraphs which in theory could win me back some more time. We’ll just see how this turns out.
It’s overcast AGAIN today - heavily overcast. Weather report predicts more sun for the weekend though so that should be nice if it comes to pass.
As soon as I park, I make a bee line (whatever that is) for the stairs with extra hussle in my walk. Then I hear my name and it’s my dad taking a walk and he sees me on my way down. Well of course I have time for my dad and how delightful is it that I can live in a place where I randomly see him at the beach (and this happens frequently). I walk over and say hello and then it’s back to action mode.
Ok, let’s get to the highlights here. Water still feels wonderful. The forecast is predicting some cooling next week but it’s gonna have to be significant to put a damper on things here. I don’t need Hawaii grade warmth every day and besides, I don’t want to get too spoiled.
There is lots of loose seaweed debris in shore just past the surf (which is meager). I quickly get past the flotsam and jetsam and then it is clean water as I swim south - at least to the naked eye and fortunately my eyes are naked.
As I get near the southern end of the beach, I see a rip in the cloud cover just over the headlands. It is a significant breach and I am beginning to hold out hope for true sunshine. This does not seem to be coming to pass as the swim continues. However, there remains a luminous glow emitting from the south end of the beach. This gives this entire stretch of coast a pretty cool look. There are still heavy and dark clouds out to sea in the west but there is a thin cushion of space between the ocean surface and the clouds that is white with light.
As I make my way north I reminisce on yesterday’s swim and try to find that same space in my mind where thought gives way to just water. Where is this space? Is it in that light over the surface? Is it somewhere underneath? Is it in the crystalline underside of the surface itself? Maybe it is in the sound of my exhale? Or perhaps it is in the sensation of the air flowing from my mouth and into the water. This space seems to come and go. When it here I lose my sense of place and time.
I get to my northern turn around and take a moment to draw in this immediate experience. I become attuned to the sounds all around me. I hear the lapping of water over water in my immediate vicinity. I can hear the breeze and it buzzes as I feel it blow over the tops of my ears. I hear something more mechanical inshore but I can’t place exactly what it is. I hear chirps from birds that I cannot see. Time to go back.
Suddenly in an instant that I can still vividly remember, the light changes. What was white and bright grey becomes a soft yellow and there is blue sky right above me. The surface of the water begins to glow. Look at that - the clear sky has finally burned through the marine layer. I quickly stop to take a picture. There is no guarantee that this will last. It’s like a pelican that swooshes by ever so quickly and I need to take the shot just as quick as I can before that pelican is long gone.
Thankfully it does last and in fact gets even better. By the time I am walking up the stairs suddenly work does not seem quite so important and I indulge myself in the sunshine. I look over to the water and feel, strongly, that I made the right decision to swim. On the drive home, I take inventory of this unique sensation I feel that is typical of a post swim high and indeed, this is exactly what I was hoping for back before this all started.
