To the Coast, Again.

Today was a fabulous day! It started out rough. Mark had a really bad night, and I kept waking up to his moaning. (I do this a lot lately -- spend a few nights downstairs, catch up on my sleep, then start feeling bad about abandoning my hubby at night, go upstairs, get too tired, move back downstairs ...) In the morning, for the second day in a row, I couldn't figure out what that infernal noise by my head was ... or how to turn it off! When I did finally get up, I debated about whether or not I should continue with my plans to go to the beach today. I felt bad leaving Mark like that, but he would most likely sleep most of the day, and if he needed medical attention, my dad was on call to take him in to the hospital. I felt guilty pushing forward with my plans, but I know that I have to take care of myself if I am to care effectively for the extra needs of my family. So I went.

It was rainy and windy at the beach, but it was still wonderful. The tide was all the way out, and I went out again to investigate the tidepools. At first my mind was busy, busy, busy -- as usual. But I remember what a couple of writer friends have told me recently -- that one's writing can't be rushed, that downtime feeds the muse. So I just let my thoughts roam while I wandered around. I climbed and walked and peered into pools and took pictures and touched things. (Why do I feel a need to touch things? In some ways, I'm just like a kid!) I squatted down and stared at the face of a rock for the longest time. The longer I looked, the more life I saw on that rock. It was really incredible.

But if somebody knows, would you please hit "comment" and answer a question for me? This has me totally intrigued. Do barnacles made noise? I never thought they did, but then I've never seen a whole mess of them alive, waving their itty bitty antenae thingies, either. They sounded like very quiet chicks. Seriously! They did! But I wonder if what I heard was the water draining out between the shells. I don't know. Does anybody know?

Anyway, on to other things ... It was so refreshing down there that I got to daydreaming. Someday I'm going to have a house down by the Oregon coast. I'm going to live there, full time, year round, and every day I will go down on the beach and walk with my muse. And I'll have a spare room with its own bathroom and a hot plate and an outside entry for privacy. It'll have bookshelves lined with great books and paper and pens left in "random" places. There will be some quilts, like my grandma's quilt, and a basket of teas, and quiet. Lots of quiet. Pastors can send people my way who are worn out from life, and they can stay in my spare room. I won't bother them. They can just come and be refreshed so that they can go back to the fray. Wouldn't that be grand? I would love that.

And my grandkids will come, too, and I'll have a huge wooden swing hanging in the gnarly oak behind the house. (Do oaks grow by the coast? I don't think I've ever paid attention to that detail. Ah, well. This is just a daydream. Back to it ...) After we're done swinging, we'll have a picnic on the back porch. Bologna sandwiches and Fritos and 7Up (because that's what my grandmother used to feed me). Then we'll go down to the beach, barefoot, and build huge sand cities. And then we'll come back and throw open the windows and take naps, serenaded by the sound of the surf ... Someday.

In the afternoon, the rain picked up, and I spent some time trolling for treasures in the shops. Didn't buy anything except Mark's birthday present and the best bowl of split pea soup I've ever eaten. I sat in the car and read Zoetrope for awhile, too. Now, that is an exceptional journal. Someday I'm going to be published there. You'll see! Okay, I'll grant that it may take me 30 years, but I'll get there. Today, refreshed as I am, anything seems possible.

When I got home, I saw in Becca's face the exact reason that I need these days out so badly. She was thrashed! I asked her if she was sick. She said no, only exhausted. Yeah, well, my boys can be a bit ... um, draining? I love them dearly, but ... well, let's just leave it at that. I love them dearly. That said, these days away are absolutely priceless!