Life's Simple Pleasures

The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood, and the sound of outer ocean on a beach. – Henry Beston

How exactly did I live for the past two years? Maybe the answer lies in the word ‘live’. I think the past two years were spent ‘existing’. I was able to take today off from school. I used to go to every teacher workday. I had so much to do in my classroom and looked forward to spending the day cavorting with the grown-ups. Now I find myself wanting to avoid as many as possible. Not due to the camaraderie…hanging out with my school friends is one of the best parts of the job. Instead, I tend to want a day of lounging and spending time with my family. Today, conditioned to get up early, I went to a Jazzercise class, checked out a book from the library (I think I read about it on Hippy’s Chick’s blog – The Mermaid Chair…I will let you know what I think), and strolled on the beach with Hubby and Finley. Nothing compares to the sound of the ocean. Except for when I was at UNC, I have always lived near the ocean and cannot see myself ever living far from its salty scent and the melodic sounds it produces. This morning, in addition to the serene lapping of the waves, we were privy to other magnificent products of Mother Nature. We collected a bounty of shells….some of which we donated to Ethel so she could whip up one of her artistic wonders to sell in her gallery…and even found some amazingly beautiful purple starfish. As if that wasn't enough, we were witness to a dazzling display of dolphin antics. It is quite common to see dolphin dorsal fins breaking the surface of the ocean while strolling along the beach, but today they were jumping completely out of the water! Simply wonderful!!! It is only early afternoon and I have already had a fantastic day. Smiles!