B is for Beach

August 12, 2007 in Uncategorized

Since it’s not quite hot enough here, we are embarking at o’dark-thirty this morning on a 26-hour trip to the coast for a family wedding on the beach this evening (my wonderful nephew’s) and a side trip for a college tour for Emma (yikes!).

It will be little Tess’ first glimpse of the ocean—just imagine the vastness, the sound, the magnitude of it all from her tiny perspective! “The sea,” as writer Annie Dillard has said, “pronounces something, over and over, in a hoarse whisper; I cannot quite make it out.” As people have for eons, we’ll sit looking into its inscrutabilities, attractive zinc oxide on our noses, bathed in 100 SPF sunscreen and hunkered down under Tilley Raffia crushable and breathable hats, the ones with the highest ultraviolet protection rating of UPF 50+ to block 98% of harmful UVA and UVB rays, backed by a two-year all-perils insurance policy against loss and a Velcro®-sealed secret pocket to hold valuables, to hear what the sea is saying to us and us alone.

And so, B is for beach. And a favorite quote invoking long evening walks on sand, and self:

“I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, writing bad blank verse and searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me.” -Anna Quindlen

About Patti Digh

Patti Digh is an author, speaker, and educator who builds learning communities and gets to the heart of difficult topics. Her work over the last three decades has focused on diversity, inclusion, social justice, and living and working mindfully. She has developed diversity strategies and educational programming for major nonprofit and corporate organizations and has been a featured speaker at many national and international conferences.

5 comments to " B is for Beach "


Marilyn

August 12, 2007 AT 2:23PM

I once experienced someone’s first look at an ocean. She was an 80-year-old woman from North Dakota…who slipped off her sandals and dipped her toe into the cold Pacific in my hometown. The look on her face was priceless and something I’ll always remember. (She passed a couple of years later). I hope Tess has the same sort of exhilarating experience. Liking the alphabet thing…but since I’m doing a poem a day this month, maybe I’ll jump on the alphabet meme next month. ;)

Shelley

August 12, 2007 AT 10:45PM

Fabulous, as usual, and YAY, I’m looking forward to falling in love with the alphabet all over again with you in tourguide mode.

Safe travels.

And another Quindlen quote: “If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all.”

Anitha

August 13, 2007 AT 3:50AM

That is a very lovely quote …. i like it…

-Anitha

Joy

August 13, 2007 AT 9:32AM

It’s wonderful that you can escape the heat for awhile. Have a safe trip and enjoy the journey! Thanks for the quote; I loved it.

jylene

August 16, 2007 AT 6:34AM

oh, the beach! the best of the best places to be! good luck with the college search. my daughter is leaving for ohio u two weeks from today– 3 hours away from home. i warn you, it’s not an easy thing for a mom to deal with. i cry every day now.