Walking4Air

Everything is a miracle,
not just the beautiful and lovely things.
– Anonymous

The beach today, misty and completely deserted.

Today is a bitter-sweet day for me.  I remember someone extra special, someone who was taken far too early in life ~ today would have been their birthday. All day I willed the hours to go faster so that my work day would be over ~ all I wanted to do was head to the beach for a beautiful sunset walk ~ to be alone with my thoughts and memories.

Just me, the ocean and the mist.

Although it had been yet another glorious, warm and sunny autumn day here in Cape Town, by the time I left work a soft mist was rolling in over the Atlantic Ocean.  Heading home the traffic was bad and as I finally got close to home, the mist over the beachfront was thick, but I pulled up into the parking lot anyway.

Except for a few people doing their afternoon jog up on the top near the road, the beach itself was deserted.  I took off my shoes and headed down towards the water. The sand was cold beneath my bare feet. I welcomed the sensation, it reminds me I am alive.

I found a place to sit, the mist gently curling my hair as it swirled around me, a complete sense of peace enveloping me. The stillness was beautiful, it felt like I was far away from the maddening world ~ this was exactly what I needed. The gentle, calm crashing of the waves as they came into sight.  Somewhere you could hear a seagull cry out. I sat there completely surrounded by the mist, the stillness and peacefulness. It was exactly what my soul was craving.

Not another soul in sight ~ not quite my sunset walk but perfect nonetheless!

A basset hound appeared out of nowhere, catching me by surprise. He pushed his cold, wet nose into my hand that was resting in my lap as if to say hello and with a wag of his tail he turned and was gone as quickly as he had appeared, leaving me alone again.

Heading back to the car, still not a soul in sight.

I don’t know how long I sat there, I just knew I didn’t want to leave.

The street lamps along the road shrouded in mist.

As darkness came, I headed back to the car, my toes were cold and numb and although I never got to walk along the beach or see the sun setting over the ocean as I had wanted, I got so much more. My soul is feeling filled to over-flowing with the blessings of life. Tonight, everything is softer, my world more gentle.

~ For Gabriel ~

~ I will never forget ~

– All photos taken by me –