Beaches Are Like Old Monks

I’ve been to the beach at different phases of my life — when I was a kid, as a jobless graduate, in solitude, in love, in search of peace, and even after the day I lost someone dear to me.

And every time, the beach embraced me. The warm sand gently hugged my toes and pulled me into their world. The rough waves of the besse beach turned soft when they touched my feet. It felt comforting. The evening sky opened up, and the vast space in front of me showed me there is more to life.

Beaches are magical that way. They’re a great example of something that is temporary and permanent.

The waves are temporary. The holes dug by crabs on the sand are temporary. The footprints of people, dogs, and birds left on the shore are temporary. Even the people who visit the beach are temporary.

But, the beach as a whole, is permanent. It was there for several billion years. It brought life to the shores, saw ambitious travelers set sail to explore new worlds. It also witnessed some of those ambitious travelers set foot on its shore. It gave rise to flourishing cities. It also suffered the effects of war and natural calamities.

The beaches have seen a lot. And yet, they’re calm and in the present. I guess their time on this planet turned them into monks. Maybe that’s the reason we find calm and feel hopeful whenever we’re at the beach.

It doesn’t matter what emotion we experience when we’re at the beach. We’ll always end up feeling hopeful when we leave back home. I’ve experienced it several times in my life.

There is an old Russian folklore about how the ocean became salty.

A young man discovers a magic grinder that can produce anything when asked. It has spells to start and stop the production. His envious older brother steals the grinder, but only learns the ‘start’ spell. On a ship, the older brother asks for salt, but can’t stop the flow. The ship fills with salt, sinks, and that’s why the ocean is salty.

But, I have a different view. Every time the waves touch the shore, they take away all our worries into the sea, making us feel hopeful. Maybe that’s why the sea is salty.