I looked back again at the sea. The waves rolled leisurely in; breakers foaming as the tops of the waves broke gently along the shore and slid onto the golden sand. My footprints made a line up towards the parking lot where I stood. I could see the imprint of my heal and my toes in each step of that wonderfully smooth sand. Today I was leaving to head back to my home in Alaska.

I wished for the thousandth time again that I could just teleport to this sweet spot on the beach, in the sun away from the responsibilities, worries and 25-degree temperatures of home.

When would I be coming back to warmth and sunshine and the salty water as I spent time swimming in the ocean? I longed to be the type of person who would just give into my own personal desires and throw loyalty and responsibility of others away and just choose the thing I wanted. I would stay. I would not leave the beach ever!

I would probably set up camp on one of those rented beach chairs. Better yet, maybe I would see if I could get a job renting beach chairs to people.

What? What was I thinking with that? Wouldn’t that just be burdening myself with some new responsibilities? If I chose to leave my current loyalties and responsibilities why would I choose to burden myself with new ones? Yes. I love the beach. I hate leaving it. But I wonder, if I never left it and always stayed there, would it become mundane? Taken for granted? Nothing special? I doubt that. But I also know that just a warm sandy beach and the heat of sunshine doesn’t help me maintain meaningful relationships. Life includes ups and downs. Struggles, misunderstanding and things that exasperate us all. But life also includes: understanding, communication, reaching out to others and caring and loving others

I looked ahead to my rental car and the plane ticket home on the dashboard. I washed off my feet, changed in the changing house and unlocked the car.

The waves rolled in on the golden sand and imbedded the picture in my mind.

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