Discovering life's little "beaches"...

A tiny, perfect beach - but only visible when the tide is out.

We came upon a tiny, perfect, and most inviting beach the other day while paddling south of Gabriola Island. We'd missed it before but when the tide is up, it's down and quite out of sight.

"Beaches" can be very special - almost essential in fact. Just to be clear, I'm not normally a beach person - at least not the sandy, sunny places where folks often sit / lie around and soak up the sun. Way too much being in one place for my liking! Besides, the thought of those ultra-violet rays penetrating my sunscreen-drenched and delicate facial skin - without even the reward of an adventure - is simply unthinkable!

The figurative idea of heading to the "beach", however is still a very appealing one. Beaches are often in very desirable locations and offer respite and sanctuary from the work-a-day world and the usual cares and snares that can weigh us down in life. Beaches take us away from the familiar and the routine and offer, even if only for a short time, a luxurious experience that calms and settles the mind and spirit.

Now this particular beach, well, it was a true "hard rock" café for an hour.

The fact is, however, most of us can't fly off to the sands of Maui or Spain's Costa del Sol at a whim...so we have to find little "beaches", miniature vacations, places of respite, where we can have a some "time out" - wherever we are.

When we lived in Calgary we had a number of such places. One was a favourite café - funky, out of the way, and full of eclectic choices on the menu chalk board. An Americano and a bagel became a "30 minute holiday". Driving by the Glenmore Reservoir, I'd pause for ten or fifteen minutes, gaze upon the tiny sailboats bobbing in the waves, and pretend it was the Pacific Ocean. (Adults can make-believe too!) Believe it or not, it was pretty refreshing. I left, good to go, to the next commitment. At the international airport, I'd watch planes take off and land, Tim's coffee in hand. Thirty minutes did the trick, and then it was back to the next commitment that awaited. Out here, even without full-time responsibilities now, it's important to regularly hit the "beach". An hour, running or hiking on the nearby trails, or time on the bike (or even the treadmill!) serves to refresh and replenish energy and renew perspective. Certainly, time in the kayak cockpit does it!

I have seen far too many folks in the "helping" professions, where we spent almost four decades, work themselves into "old" age. Respite is required...daily. Everyone benefits from time on a "beach".

It would be very interesting to know where you find yours.

Duncan.