Getting a little Vitamin Sea

The sun had set, but the sky had refused to darken, casting the world in pinks, blues, and purples. My toes squished in the sand as I walked along the beach. A lone flash of fin in the water caught my eye, and I watched between the small sets that washed on the shore for another clue as to who the fin belonged to. 

A moment later, it reappeared, it’s white underside and black top giving a clue as to who it may belong to: a young manta ray, or perhaps an eagle ray. I waited for a moment, hoping it would show again to give me confirmation, but only the dark top of the sea was visible.

I kept walking, kept my eyes on the water that was changing from a deep purple to inky black.. Another flash of fin. This one protruded much further from the water with a black tip, the rest of it was gray. Shark.

Again, I waited, hoping to get clearer confirmation, the warm ocean water covering my toes. There were only waves, so I continued on. Further down the beach, the same flash of fin breached the water. Likely another shark. I smiled, wished him happy hunting.

A night heron scurried on the beach ahead of me, it’s skinny neck outstretched, yellow legs moving. It, too, was hunting. At the last second, the pale crab it chased ducked into a hole. Safe, for now.

I tarried in a large indentation in the sand, easily tucking inside the crater the mother sea turtle had left on the beach. Greens do this— these mamas like to make massive mounds in an effort to camouflage their eggs. 

I was so hidden from view, the night heron didn’t notice me as she tracked another prey. It moved slowly, stalking the crab with black eyes perched above a near-translucent body. The bird drew closer and one of the black eyes twitched, spying the predator. The crab took off, the heron following after, keeping pace with the six rapidly moving legs, the long feather that extended off the back of its head waggling madly.

This chase proved fruitful: the heron snatched up the crab in its sharp beak, snapping it whole into its mouth. A success for the heron. The circle of life continues.

I had come to the beach with a mind full of chatter. The never-ending to-do list of money, parenting, running a household, the overwhelm on how to do it all. 

When I left, the problems were still there. Nothing had been crossed off the list, I had gotten absolutely nothing done, had not been “productive.”

And yet, as I got into my car to drive home, everything seemed more manageable. The sun will rise and set again tomorrow, the sharks swim in the sea as they had done for millennia, the circle of life goes on. 

I get to play my little part in it. That’s what my evening on the beach reminded me. We’re part of a wonderful, magical greater universe. That’s the power of Nature.

If you’ve been in full-on mind chatter mode, I invite you to take time outside by yourself, without any phone. Notice how you feel before and after.

That’s your Nature Rx.