I See the Sea!

The sea is a magical place.  The salt in the air, seagulls flying overhead, the sound of the crashing waves.  If I close my eyes I can almost smell that salty sea air and feel the mist on my face. 

Earlier in the week my husband surprised me with an afternoon trip to Brighton. We got the train and in less than an hour we were there.  We had lunch at Wahaca a lovely Mexican restaurant and then made our way down towards the pier. Walking down the hill, I couldn't help but suddenly turn to my husband and say "I see the sea!!!" excitedly. He laughed and told me that as a child it was always a game to see who saw the sea first when they all traveled together to the coast.  

I was so excited to finally be at the seaside again, my last venture to a British beach had been in 2010 to the sandy shores of Margate.  

Brighton is a different kind of beach, its rocky and the day we were there extremely windy.  I had worn a dress, something I had thought would be fine as I was told to dress summery.  After the first 3 near Marilyn Monroe moments I quickly rummaged around in my handbag and pulled out a 10p coin and an elastic; quickly MacGyvering my dress into a onesie. It wasn't pretty but it did the trick and I was no longer constantly worrying about showing the world the colour of my knickers.  

Clothing crisis adverted I was free to enjoy the beauty of the sea. We walked along the pier taking in the sites and then decided to have a walk down to the rocky beach.

I will always believe that the ocean has healing properties, it speaks to me.  I genuinely feel that I need periodic trips to the seaside so that I can put my feet in that cold salt water and let the ebb and flow of the water draw out all the negativity, fears, and doubts that are clouding my mind.  Standing in the tide I let the water pour over my toes rising up to my knees and absorb its strength while letting its calming caress soothe my soul.

After I sat on the rocky beach letting my legs dry and watching the waves crash onto the shore.  Side by side my husband and I sat in silence taking in the beauty of the ocean, a bright blue sky overhead, wind whipping the sea into a frenzy of waves.  It was a perfect afternoon. We sat there until it was time to catch the train home. Stopping at the pier we got a bag of churros to share and sat on a step to eat and talk.  It could not have been a more perfect day.  I hope we visit the seaside again soon.  Next time I'll wear something more beach appropriate and we've already agreed we'll have chips on the beach.