A Beach "Fix"

I had a wonderful time in Green Bay this weekend. It was great reconnecting with a friend I hadn't seen in an embarassingly long time!! Since I last saw her she has gotten divorced, remarried, had MAJOR health issues and almost died. It was amazing the way we were able to just pick up where we left off, like no time had passed at all. We just seem to click in so many ways and I am extremely glad that I went!! But I missed my "glimpse" of Lake Michigan on the way up!! I don't know if I was lost in thought, distracted by semis, too into the music coming out of my CD player or WHAT?!?!? I was quite bummed when I realized I had passed it without noticing. So, on Sunday when I left GB, instead of heading south out of the city, I drove the 23 miles east that take you to the shore of the great lake. I went to the beach in Algoma. I have been craving a beach "fix" for a long time anyway----have been meaning to get to the dunes forever!!! So I really soaked it all in!! Took off my shoes and socks, rolled up my pants and went wading. I'd been dying to dig my toes in some sand!! It was a bit icy but it felt good!!! I wandered down the beach for awhile and then just sat in the sand for a long time just "being"----watching the waves and the sand and the sun and the rocks and the geese and the bugs crawling on the rocks---feeling the wind ruffling my hair and the goosebumps that ALMOST wanted to pop up on my arms. Everything else in life just drained away----time was suspended-----nothing else mattered except sitting in the sand reconnecting with Mother Earth in all her gorgeous and unpredictable glory. I forgot how good it feels to get away----to leave behind thoughts of paying the bills, doing the laundry, buying the groceries, cleaning the house. I don't know how long I would have sat there if I didn't have to drive home to Chicago. I think I would like to have stayed until it got too cold and dark!! Maybe someday I'll get that chance. I left behind some "rock art" for someone to find, collected some rocks for myself (CANNOT go to the beach without collecting something!!) but had nothing to put them in. So I filled up my shoes. Now they are laying in the backseat of my car----a little piece of the beach. I can't believe I forgot to add "Beach Bum" to my list of imaginary lives!!!