Yesterday

The Sound of the Sea

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The sea awoke at midnight from its sleep,
And round the pebbly beaches far and wide
I heard the first wave of the rising tide
Rush onward with uninterrupted sweep;
A voice out of the silence of the deep,
A sound mysteriously multiplied
As of a cataract from the mountain's side,
Or roar of winds upon a wooded steep.
So comes to us at times, from the unknown
And inaccessible solitudes of being,
The rushing of the sea-tides of the soul;
And inspirations, that we deem our own,
Are some divine of foreshadowing and foreseeing
Of things beyond our reason or control.

~ 

Yesterday's beach walk soothed me. When I feel a bit tormented or claustrophobic, I go down to the sea. I feel the pull of the ocean. She calls to me. The sea is like nothing else in this world for calming and inspiring my soul. Even if the waves are crashing, the water violent, I still find it to be like a balm. This time of year brings tourists, crowds, chaos, and litter to the beach. But if you keep walking, away from convenient parking and rentals, she's there, right where she always is...my old friend. Peace. Room to breathe. Inspiration.

Yesterday, I found a shell. 

Put it in my pocket.

Brought it home.

This morning, I sketched it.

While I sketched, I thought of yesterday.

Thought of the bounty in my life.

Marveled at my old friend, the ever present sea.

.