Reconnecting

On the Beach

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”

                                  Jaques Cousteau

“The waves of the sea,

Help me get back to me.”

                                  Jill Davis

         Life is somehow different close to the ocean.  Even the year-round residents here move at a slower pace; they seem less stressed, more at ease.  Of course, Ocracoke Island has no bridges connecting it with anywhere else, so even if one wanted, one could not run away fast.  But it is more than that.  There is a quality to island life that gives one the experience of how life was a while back—before we all went crazy with speed.  People know each other, seem glad to see one another, smile at strangers, and when they say, ‘may I help you’ or ‘what can I get for you,’ it feels genuine.  Nobody seems to worry much about what you’re wearing, or whether your hair is in place, or where you came from.  They’re just happy to be here and happy to have you here, too.  At least that’s how it seems.

         Yesterday, we walked through a nature preserve where old, gnarled water oaks and junipers grew.  The sandy trails ran alongside fences constructed from drift wood, fallen branches, washed-up buoys and whatever else could be dragged to the spot.  We came out on a beach where people were swimming their dogs and lollygagging.  I sat for a long while on a breakwater made from the concrete remnants of bridges and watched the waves slapping against the beach.  Something about that sound brings one to ground, rearranges all the scrambled brain parts, and pulls the scattered pieces of the puzzle together.  One walks away feeling all of a piece.

         We leave the island today, but if I could, I would stay.  It is a place for getting back to oneself and reclaiming one’s lost priorities.  If you ever need a place to recover your sanity, having been in the deranged world for too long, I recommend Ocracoke Island.  As my son Jake said, “It’s as close to sacred as I’ve ever been.”  Yea, verily, and amen.

                                  Shalom,

                                  Jane