The sound of seagulls. The smell of the ocean in the air, the salty atmosphere merging with my body and this luminous stillness that invades me as I get closer to the coast. Between the sea and I stand some sandhills. I take off my sandals and cross them. I can feel the sand under my bare feet, sliding through my toes, warm and smooth. Ahead, the vastness of this blue horizon.
I pause for a moment, my gaze fixed on the ocean, mesmerized by the sparkles of light on the water. The white foam on the smooth sand marks the border.
I drop my bag, stretch out my towel, remove my white dress and approach the seashore. I can feel the breeze soft upon my face, caressing my body, entangling itself in my hair. I can feel my shoulders relaxing, my breath settling down, as I surrender to the ocean. I feel safe. I reach out and touch the water; its coolness contrasts with the warmth of the sun on my back. I rise, intoxicated by the breeze, transported to a timeless dimension, where the past, future and present are one. I feel alive.
If I had to define the pleasures of life, those that come to us from the hands of the senses, I would say that they are all those that make us feel alive. As if the beauty of life, was suddenly embodied in a moment that we could touch. And when we do, when we let life run through us, we discover all that is sacred.
I drop all my fears at the shore and slide into the sea slowly. To exist in my body seems so much easier at sea. The water on my skin reminds me of a language that both my soul and my body instinctively understand.
“We experience life through our body” how many times have you taught me that and how many times have I forgotten.
The density of the sea sustains me its rhythm impels me to swim, to detach myself from the ground. I move across the water as an act of liberation. No matter how troubling things might seem, I can swim through them, ask the ocean to take it all away. I dive, hold my breath and open my eyes to the endlessness of the ocean. There is so much that we do not know. All my life, I’ve been swimming aimlessly underwater, searching for answers. I return to the surface, inhale, throw my head back, all my senses fully awake, unable to abandon myself completely, aware of the hand that might drag me to the bottom.
I lay on my towel, sinking into the burning sand of the beach, my body craving for the sun. The hollow sound of the waves clears out all of my thoughts, like a vibration that softly penetrates you, shaking you from the inside, emptying you of all your experiences, expanding your vision and softening your soul. I can see the golden glow of the sun behind my closed eyelids and, I feel like pure light. I would stay here forever; Like a lizard in the sun, just happy to be a lizard.
