It is so interesting to walk the beach on a beautiful sunny Spring morning.
It is a study of human behavior to be sure. A great place for people watching. Can’t help it. That’s me. A studier of behavior.
This morning my husband and I walked along the shoreline to the Pier about a mile from our Condo. We have to watch the tides and only venture out for our walk when it is quite low.
This time of year there are mostly people who fall into the “Senior Class” genre as schools are in session and there are no vaca days.
Most people are walking two by two. However, every once in a while there is an exerciser walking very quickly and swinging their arms while connected to earphones. I imagine they are listening to their kind of music. It is definitely a motivator as I once ran to music that got me going too!
Most of us are meandering and just enjoying the smell of the ocean and maybe seeing a dolphin every so often. I’m not sure the exercise is the reason for the walks or during our walks we just happen to get some exercise. But, then, who cares?
There are some shell enthusiasts who very well may get a sore neck peering downward in hopes of finding that perfect shell. Not many of those along our shoreline in Myrtle Beach. I’m unsure why we have so little of the beautiful whole shells here. There must be a reason but I don’t feel like researching it. We only have a few different types of shells and even less are whole specimens. But these searching souls keep at it and go home with a nice bag full of samples. These people are very patient and driven in their endeavors.
We used to be like that. But, in our case, we always searched for shark teeth. You know those tiny, shiny, black shark teeth? We have been told that those Great White sharks have left behind a few of their rather large teeth that have slipped up onto the sand. Never have found one of those! I suppose we are no longer driven this way.
There are those folks who have a hefty cup of Starbucks coffee in their hand enjoying that first cup of necessary morning java while strolling. These people are not walking very fast since that coffee would spill and they walk with a larger group…more than just a spouse. My imagination takes hold as I picture them out the night before probably partying at a local bar and grill. Hmmmm. I wonder where they went?
The dog walkers. We had a dog when we first owned our little Condo. Coach didn’t like the Condo much. The idea of being on the 7th floor didn’t sit well with him. He wasn’t comfortable sleeping anywhere and he hated the elevator ride necessary for his morning and night-time walks. He would hug the wall down the corridor and cower in the elevator. Poor thing.
These dog walkers I see on the beach have dogs that don’t seem to have a bit of trouble with anything beach. They play in the water or play fetch and go up and down the elevator with no cowering! Dogs have their likes and dislikes, too, I suppose. Since having a dog here was a poor experience for us, I love to watch other dogs walking along with their owners. Most are well-trained and won’t say, “hello” to me either. So sad. No dog fix for me.
There are the sun worshippers with their chairs and blankets already plopped down facing the ocean and trying to get a bit of sun on their white February bodies. We definitely used to be these people too. I think the melanoma on my face which I recently had dug out has given me pause to ever sit on the beach again. I have to say I will forever miss the warm sun on my face and how it, alone, will completely relax me.
Ahhhhhhhhh the beach, the ocean and a warm sunny day. There really is nothing better on most days. I get lost in my thoughts on my walks. Even when I am hand in hand with my husband, my mind drifts to other things. It is a time to breathe in the salt air and just to watch the shell people, the Starbuckers, the dog families and the sun lovers.
These retirement years can yield the best of all worlds!
Leigh
*BY THE BEAUTIFUL SEA, 1914, Harry Carroll and Harold Atteridge.
THE SENIOR CLASS 