The Case of the Wandering Backpack

Definitely a more cheery morning today than yesterday. There was a good amount of blue in the sky surrounded by puffy clouds. By the time I got to the beach, there were scattered clouds throughout the sky like islands in a sea of blue. It felt sunny and much more inviting than yesterday. What clouds that are here are shielding the blinding light from the rising sun as it rises over the cliffs on the east of the beach. It’s only a quarter after 6 in the morning but the air feels nice and warm.

According to the morning surf report, the water surface is “semi clean.” I would definitely put heavy italics on “semi”. The ocean is actually pretty darn wobbly and bouncy. I’m a bit on the depressed side this morning and I am looking forward to this plunge and hoping that it can zap me into a better energy.

I set my pack down in the same place I always put it and head out into the surf. As I had hoped, as the breaking waves hit my mid section, I can feel it flushing out the malaise. When I dive in to start swimming, I immediately begin to feel better. It’s like a density of gloom is shook. It loosens and then disperses. It feels good to be here. It’s just a beautiful morning here, and I have this entire beach nearly all to myself.

I finish my swim and head back to my pack. I can’t find it anywhere. It absolutely is not where I left it. I finally concede that it is gone and start to walk back but then turn around to look once more. I just can’t believe that someone would take my pack. Actually I can. A few months after I started doing this, I had left a shirt which I had used to wrap up my phone, earbuds and glasses. After my swim I must have scoured the rocks for 30 minutes and they were just gone. Later that morning after I returned home, I had an email from a Starbucks manager stating they had my phone, which oddly was the only item of value of everything left. I wonder if the person who took my stuff thought they were being a good Samaritan by taking what they may have thought to be lost goods. I mean, to them it would appear that these items were completely abandoned.

So I wonder if I should leave a note in my pack that says thanks for caring, but please do not move this stuff because I am somewhere out here swimming where you likely do not see me but I will need these items within the hour. About 50 feet down the beach on my way to the ramp that leads up to the parking lot - there it is. I totally did not put it here. It also has all my stuff including an old sim-less phone I use for taking the pictures on this site. I’m relieved but perplexed. About the same time I see a group of swimmers getting in the water and one of their buddies I recognize who today is just walking on the beach. We talk for a while and then I head up the hill. I wonder if whoever took the pack saw all these other swimmers leaving their packs and then got the idea that maybe they should just leave it. Who knows but I’m glad I found it.