An exercise in "movement"...

I move, therefore I am.

- Haruki Murakami

This November morning (Guy Fawkes Day) in Arbroath, the skies were almost cloudless. The North Sea was almost calm. It had been gently suggested that I go for a long walk along the beach, alone, as there were some pressing administrative matters that needed a couple of hours of attention. (We have both agreed, for many years, that Joan is simply much more capable in this area of our shared lives.) Displaying my usual cooperative and easy-going spirit, I agreed to go out and try to find some way to enjoy the wonderful sunshine and crisp temperatures. :)

The tide was out, and on and in the expansive sands, there were signs of movement...everywhere.

A gloriously, happy dog, chasing a ball, thrown by his very best friend.

A hungry sea gull, turning his back on the fast food establishment across the highway, intent on finding something nutritious and sustaining for breakfast.

A tiny, unknown, inter-tidal creature, leaving a very interesting trail. (Somewhat reminiscent, of the GPS track of one of our recent hikes in the hills!)

The evidence of a stream of water that had washed the sands, en route to the sea.

An elderly man with his cane, enjoying the morning and warming the chilly air with a most cordial greeting and generous smile.

A runner, leaving tracks in the firm sand and drawing in deep breaths of fresh and salty sea air.

A clump of sea weed, marking the passage of time, with its shadow on the sand.

The sandstone cliffs on the other side of town, the granite cliffs further up the coast, all in motion, albeit on a geologic time scale.

The atoms within the computer keyboard, the beach sands, the earth and the moon, the solar system, the stars, the galaxies...the universe...all in constant motion.

It's maybe why I don't like to sit still for long.

Movement.

No wonder it feels so right.

Returning home, the administrative tasks had been accomplished.

I had done my duty. ;)


Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer and marathon runner.