Taking It for Granted

Probably little question that in many ways I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to live in a wondrous environment here at the beach on the east coast of Florida. Some things we are apt to take for granted, and with what is almost indifference, shade or filter our view of the beauty around us. At times an ‘inland’ friend will ask, “How’s life at the beach?” More than once I’ve answered that everything is pretty much ‘same old, same old.’ And yes, it is possible that the routines I follow and the daily turn of screws and gears is pretty much the same. But then I chance to look out the window, step out on the patio, raise my eyes to the sky.

Only in the broadest sense can anyone say that a given day is the same as the one before it. Take another look. Slow down and let the scene, large and small soak in for a minute. Nine out of ten times you’ll catch something in the water, sky or spread of beach that is not quite like what you’ve seen before. The shifting of the light, the coloring of the sand and its interaction with tide, surf and algae, the awesome palette of blue and green that colors the water. Who knows? You might even come upon a pink flamingo behind a clump of sea oats.