A healthy habit

So I have a confession... Every day this week I have spent hours on end at the beach. Post night shift, on days off. Usually I would try to go once or twice a week. On Monday, Randy joined me and the weather was so nice and the water so refreshing that for the second time since moving here, we left and picked up the kids from school and surprised them to a beach day. We ended up eating dinner on the beach. Mission Bay has many cafes and restaurants right next to the water. About a week ago, after dropping the kids off at school, Randy and I took a quick trip north to Takapuna and had brunch and explored the beach there too.

I have long found that sitting on the sand, smelling the sea air, hearing the waves, and watching the different shades of blue and green glisten under the sun has a simultaneous pacifying and invigorating effect on me and in the short span of one New Zealand summer, I have become dependent on that sensory input. Getting to the water from where I live has been so convenient (not to mention free) that it simply beats sitting on the couch and watching TV all day. I have found this to be the best way to reset after a hectic shift or get into the right mindset for an upcoming one.

I was born on a beautiful Caribbean island. I have always wondered if that fact makes us wired to be destined to return to the water, like a sea turtle. The older I became the more being land locked or unable to make frequent trips to a beach became unbearable. I felt the pull that lakes and rivers could not satisfy. I hope that I find something equally satisfying during the thick of the winter. Considering that during the latter part of last winter when we arrived I was still going to the beach despite the cold air and wind, the chances are not much will change. In the meantime, as the summer comes to an end, I will get into the water and enjoy the warm sun on my skin every chance I get.