Sunny days

On the Beach.
I really don't spend enough on the beach. Last Friday was an awful day for me, for no particular reason than it was really just a shitty day. I woke up convinced that I was shrinking, fading away to nothing, and the day never really got any better. Saturday started early with junior cricket, and standing in the sun umpiring and supervising a dozen apparently disinterested 13 year olds can be just as much fun as it sounds. Saturday afternoon, 37 in the city equates to about 42 in the hills, and I'm playing cricket again. That was my highlight up until then, a good bunch of guys, and I actually made runs, though sprinting up and down a 20 metre strip of grass with a helmet and pads on in the mid-afternoon heat does take a bit of shine off the experience. Then a 45 minute drive home to get into the car to spend another hour driving to Mandurah for an 18th birthday party. Finally crawled into bed at around 2 a.m. Sunday morning started with a mass of pain from my cricketing exploits plus the additional dehydrating effects of a dozen or so TED's. Then the boys wanted to go to the beach. It's 35 degrees and I'm as sick as a dog, and they want me to take them to the beach. You know what? It's the best thing that could have happened. The beach down the road from Bonnie Doon (old boy's holiday place) is nearly always deserted. I find it almost impossible to stay stressed, or even concerned, sitting on the sand, looking out over the ocean, or lying on my back cloud watching. Watching the kids play in the waves, being able to see for miles for 180 degrees says something about my place in the scheme of things. Standing knee deep in the surf as the waves relentlessly, unstoppably wash in around me. Thousands of grains of sand sticking to my feet with each step (or hop) I take across the hot beach. Watching the seagulls drifting lazily in circles hundreds of feet in the air. I came away from there feeling refreshed, invigorated and peaceful, and the only thing that had changed was my perspective.

"Shall I compare thee....."