An Element of the Sacred

You just never know what it’s going to be like out there until you get out there. Every day is good, but some are certainly above average. Some days you know it is going to be above average before you even get to the beach. It’s in the air. Some days you think it is going to be great and it’s good but not remarkable. Then somedays you are just expecting a run of the mill swim and come back with your arms (and heart) overflowing with gifts. I think today falls into that last category.

Skies were mostly cloudy this morning. There are large swaths of blue but the sky is dominated by large clouds. Now I will say they are cool and interesting clouds, but things seem a little dim in the light department. The water looks relatively smooth on the webcams so overall I am expecting a pleasant swim. I leave just a touch before 9:30 and it is comfortably warm outside.

As I head down Golden Lantern just before Selva Road, I see this big ship out on the horizon. It doesn’t look like a container ship. It looks military. I wonder what that’s all about and then I don’t think about it again. As I approach PCH coming down Selva, I can see those big dreamy clouds in the distance and a hazy but fairly clear view of Catalina Island just underneath them. It’s beautiful.

As I am getting out of the car, I notice that my mechanic left one of his tools in my car. I guess I should return that next time I’m in San Clemente. By the way, if you want a honest mechanic who just wants to do well by his customers and not rob them blind, Jesus is your man at Victoria Auto Repair near the Rainbow Sandal outlet in San Clemente. My neighbor who rebuilds Porches for a living referred me to him and I have never looked back.

At the bottom of the stairs, I see a woman pointing her phone out toward the ocean for a prolonged period of time. My first thought is, “well of course she wants a picture of the water and clouds and cliffs. What is not to like looking at that?” Then as I stare out there I see what she is aiming at. There is a pod of dolphins wandering down the coast. It seems like it has been a while, at least a month, since I have seen dolphins. We joke about how nice it would be if they would remain at the surface long enough to get a good picture. Dolphins are difficult to shoot (with a camera…of course!).

I figure by the time I get into the water, the dolphins will be long gone. I reach the sand and then the water and it feels a little warmer than earlier in the week. Still, it’s hard to know how definitive this reading is until you are actually all wet and swimming. There is a woman who walks out into the surf and looks like she is having a spiritual experience as she lets the waves roll over her. I have no idea actually. She is not doing anything out of the ordinary. I guess I just figure how could you NOT be having a spiritual experience all alone in the water on a morning like this? I know that is exactly what I will soon be having.

I walk into the water and before very long at all I start swimming north towards Monarch. It is indeed nice out here. These clouds are pretty great too and just enough clear sky to provide an abundance of light. I like it.

I’m swimming along and hear a high pitched sound that I am pretty sure is a dolphin squeal. Of course I immediately stop and have a look. I see a handful of dolphins far up the beach just in front of the point below the Ritz. I can see them rising up over the water and then diving back under. It looks like they are right at the edge of the surf. I keep swimming in that direction and I hear another squeak. I look around again and now they are close. I wade right here for probably five minutes. The dolphins are just kind of wandering around this spot. They must be hunting something. I can hear their breathing and huffing. I just love being around them. I sit here awaiting for a miracle at any moment and I am shown several. The dolphins are all over the place. They swim north and south and inshore. Eventually they start to head farther south and offshore and I figure it’s time to move on.

There is a seagull just kicking back on the water who has been here the whole time. We now have a connection through this shared experience with the dolphins. I feel like we have so much to say to each other but no words seem like they can convey to one another what we saw. That’s probably because it’s a seagull and no words will convey much of anything. Still, we now share a special bond. He doesn’t seem interested in a fist bump so I just let him be.

I continue north and the water is so nice today and the mix of blue sky and clouds is so utterly perfect. I am absolutely loving this swim. I keep thinking about the dolphins. I am staring at the open ocean and the line of the horizon with every breath and it calms my heart.

Finally I reach the Monarch Bay Beach Club. The hills here are so green and the houses that line the crest of the ridge look so crisp and clear. I allow myself some time to take it all in and then I hear that distinctive huffing and breathing again. Really? Another dolphin? It takes a little while but I find it. It’s only one as far as I can tell. That’s ok. One is all I need. It cruises by and off it goes moving south. I feel truly luck to have crossed paths with it right here. This place was beautiful and special as it was but the dolphin adds an element of the sacred.

Time to turn around and head back to where it was when I started. I don’t see any more dolphins but I see lots of water and sun and clouds and cliffs and brush and all of these things are wonderful. I feel so blessed to be enjoying this out here all by myself. I can feel the love in the water This seems especially welcome right now given the lack of love I am seeing on the internet with the fallout of yesterday’s shooting. Everybody just needs to stop posting on social media and head on out here exactly where I am now. There is room for everyone. Everyone.