Swim
I had my first swim of the season today, two months later than last year and probably the latest I have swum since I have been here. And it was at my favourite beach too, Maitai Bay.
Last year Genevieve and I were asked to leave the beach in September after it was shut down due to Covid concerns from nearby families. I missed that beach so much last summer. While there are plenty of other ones nearby, nothing cuts it quite like Maitai for me.
I saw a pair of banded dotterels, the same pair I had seen two years ago when I last swum there. They must be very territorial birds because they were in almost the same position as they were then, though this time, slightly closer to the walking track. Without foot visitors last summer, they probably felt confident to build their nests wherever they felt like it, not realising that visitors would be back.
I love my time at the beach. Worries are washed away; the body is bathed in much-needed sunshine and the mind frees itself of clutter, allowing new thoughts to enter. This morning I was working on the content of my upcoming workshop, and fresh ideas flowed into me as I lay on the soft sand at my favourite beach. We had heaps of rain last night and remnants of the depression were still lingering. When I felt more rain coming in off the sea, I decided to leave, though had I stayed, I would have realised it was only five minutes’ worth. But I guess that I am not used to the sun yet, so it was probably good that I did not stay too long.
It is amazing having such a magnificent beach so close to the house, taking just seven minutes to drive there. As I surveyed the bay from the ridge-top I spied one other person. There were a couple of campervans in the camp ground and one ute parked at the other parking lot. It took my mind a couple of seconds to register. Gosh that looks like my son, Michael’s vehicle. I took another look at the person walking along the beach and sure enough, that was him. I tried calling out, but my voice was drowned by the breaking waves. Michael, who had been staying for a couple of nights, had set off half an hour earlier to a beach in the opposite direction. I know it is somehow significant that it was only he and I who were on that beach this afternoon, although I don’t know what that significance is. Perhaps we both needed that solitude or we both sensed the magic that was waiting for us.
I look forward to upcoming swims as the water and the weather warms, and more clarity as I wash myself in the cleansing waves. Perhaps sometimes I will even bring my phone and write my blog while I am there. That would save me poring over the computer on a nice sunny day when I would much rather be outdoors. And of course, when the waves are right, there will be body-boarding, my favourite pass time.