Everywhere and All Over the Place
Ok, finally a different kind of a day today! I left just a little before 10:00 and the sky above my apartment is mostly sunny, but I see a significant mass of clouds over the ocean. There is also a bit of a breeze blowing. As I approach the water coming down Selva Road, there appears to be a significant amount of sunlight reaching the ocean surface. Things are very vaporous and the clouds are actively shifting and who knows how things will change in the next hour, let alone 20 minutes. I’m just happy to have some glimpse of blue sky to brighten up my insides.
From the parking lot I can see just a little bit of chop on the water. The breeze is coming from the south and as I walk down the stairs I can indeed watch the water moving north. It’s going to be a bumpy ride today I can tell. That is totally fine by me since it matches my bumpy insides. It will be good to swim amongst the slosh. And I’m pretty sure the slosh will be warm if things are at all like they were yesterday.
The surf looks smaller than it did yesterday and all jumbled up from the wind. I don’t see any surfers out. Also, the lifeguard station which has been opening at 10:00 until this week is vacant and I guess they have adjusted their hours now that the school year is starting back up. I don’t entirely know why that makes me a little sad, but it does - not too sad though.
I touch my feet to the water and yes, it is still warm. I make my way out through the chunky surf and I enjoy looking up the coast line in both directions and seeing a healthy mix of soft cloud and blue sky. The air looks so clean and alive. A wave breaks right in front of me and I dive beneath it and the water is so refreshing. As I swim south against the current, the water just feels luxurious. It’s not smooth and inviting but once you are in it, it is very nurturing. It’s kind of everywhere and all over the place and coming at you from every direction (mainly from the south) but that’s exactly what you want. Where would I NOT want this water to be?
I eventually make my way to the southern end of the beach and hang out for just a bit to watch the chaotic waves break against the rocks. To the north I see blue sky and never ending bluffs and hills and lots and lots of water. It looks beautiful. After a few minutes I turn around and head north. The ride grows a bit more gentle now that I am heading in the direction of the wakes. My mind is all a buzz. There is something I have decided to do that sort of terrifies me and also excites me. I swim through kelp forests that nearly reach the surface but not quite. I allow myself to float above the tree tops and drift over the leaves that sit just inches from my face.
When I get to the northern end of the beach I pause and watch the sunlight shimmer on the surface of the ocean here. There are still large masses of cloudy formations to the far southern distance and I’m not really sure if things are truly clearing up but they are clear enough. Then I am visited by a few cormorants. I love cormorants. They buzz about and circle me and swoosh down to the water and then fly up and away and after a while they are gone. That was pretty special. Cormorants don’t often “hang out.” I usually see them flying swiftly in one direction.
I finish up the swim heading back against the current in this lovely and comfy water. The lifeguard station is still unmanned. I walk up the stairs thinking of that thing I have decided to do and wondering if I can bring myself to do it. I’m pretty sure I can do it, but a lot can change in the next few minutes.
