BEACH THERAPY AND THE MAGIC KEY

A series of essays.....

DISNEY CRUISE SHIP DEPARTING FROM PORT CANAVERAL

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

There are numerous reasons why we migrate to a beach as often as possible. We go to relax, walk in the sand, play in the surf, luxuriate in the sunshine, feel the salty mist on our faces and smell the pungent odors of the 'briney sea'.....each reason can be as personal and individualistic as the person making the pilgrimage.

Each time I feel truly alive, generally renewed, and the most creative is when time is spent near a body of water. From the ocean to an inland lake, a rushing river to a mountain stream, life continues to ebb and flow around me and places my soul in a calm, meditative state.

For most of my life, I have firmly believed in something I've lovingly labeled, 'beach therapy.' 

Living in Central Florida and being surrounded by the vast Atlantic to the east and the shimmering Gulf of Mexico slightly further to the west, there have been ample opportunities these past twenty years to place my theory of 'beach therapy' into motion. Sad news that overshadowed our lives a few weeks ago decisively amped up the need to employ the amazing healing powers of the beach and attempt to minimize depression while aligning a healthy new perspective on the world for both Dan and myself.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER AND
ROCKET LAUNCH PADS IN THE DISTANCE

This latest heartbreaking dose of reality all began with a simple phone call from my husband.

Amazing friends had been staying with us over the weekend and were due to leave on the second phase of their Floridian excursion that Monday morning. Dan needed to head back to work that day and, with mug-of-hot-coffee in hand, he was out of the door by seven. 

Not long afterward, my guests and I were sitting around the kitchen table in full 'chatter mode' discussing their return to our house for two additional nights in about a week and a half, when the phone rang. It was Dan. His voice was soft, almost mellow, with a slight tinge of breathlessness. I knew something was wrong and, I wasn't certain I wanted to hear about it.

"Honey, Frank's gone. He had a heart attack." echoed through the technological ethos that separated us. There always seems to be a long, unconscionable pause between thoughts after hearing this kind of news. It's as though the mind, while refusing to grasp reality, infuses air bubbles into the brain forcing mental hiccups. "Are you okay?" I asked him.  "I love you. Now go back and do what you have to do. We'll talk this evening," was my reply. Details over the phone line...not adequate or necessary.

Upon arriving at his office, he noticed the mood for a Monday morning was exceptionally somber. Dan's boss, Rich, came into his office and slowly sat down. "Dan, Frank passed away on Saturday," whispered Rich. "He survived two horrific bouts of cancer and came through like a trooper but, his heart couldn't take it and he died of a massive heart attack after he'd been working around in the yard all morning. I wanted to tell you myself."

Frank was fifty-eight years of age with young grandchildren and so much more 'living' to look forward to.

SEA GRAPES THRIVE IN
THIS HARSH ENVIRONMENT

Frank's position within the company was an assistant superintendent and Dan had worked side-by-side with him for almost a year. Recently, I enjoyed the company of this gentle, kind man and his adorable wife at the Company's Christmas party several months before. He spent at least an hour describing his 'Moments of Zen' when he attended to his hydroponic gardening. We learned so much from Frank and he left a glowing, everlasting impression upon me that evening.

The loss of a contemporary can ignite a personal sadness within us that is emotionally difficult to extinguish, even after the passing of time.

It was a few days later that Frank's family offered the details of his memorial service and 'celebration of life' which was scheduled to take place in Rockledge, Florida, due east of Orlando. My mind began spinning with ideas in the hope of relieving some of the pain and anguish that Dan was experiencing. My first thought, naturally, was a healthy dose of 'beach therapy!' 

The Friday before the service, I packed a change of clothes, towels, beach blanket, a light lunch with plenty of water, sunscreen, my flip-flops and his sandals. I could not forget the magic key I now possessed that would allow us through the locked gate and offer direct access to one of the world's most beautiful beaches along the Atlantic coastline: Cape Canaveral Beach.

MY 'MAGIC KEY'

Using my key to enter the beach house that runs alongside the Olympic sized pool, we quickly change out of the somber attire that was appropriate an hour earlier and dash to deposit them back into the car. Slipping the coiled, iridescent green key fob onto my wrist, it's smoothness welcoming us to a world of sensory delights, we can whiff the scent of the sea as we approach the locked, private gate that is the only thing separating us from the Atlantic Ocean. 

You see, this is a private condominium complex on the beach at Cape Canaveral. A good friend owns several units and we are fortunate to be able to stay in one of them whenever it isn't rented out. Each time I come here, my fertile imagination conjures up the spirits of the astronauts associated with the early NASA program living in some of the older units here with their wives and children. They were young, free, intelligent, and so ambitious....life was promising with such great adventures to look forward to. What an amazing and hope-filled period of our country's history this must have been to live, laugh, and love in!! 

WATCHING THE CRUISE SHIPS
GO OUT TO SEA

Before unlocking the gate, I find myself, already, taking pictures of the cruise ships leaving through the deep channel of Port Canaveral, gliding along the shimmering blue waters like majestic giants clad in white armor and sporting enormous Royal Crowns, the letter 'X', and Mickey Mouse ears, just to sight a few.

The 'magic key' is slipped into the lock and the crisp creaking of the metal gate sends shivers down my spine. The excitement level is high because we know what wonders lie ahead of us. A cardinal sings his happy song in a tree that lines the boardwalk as we make our way onto the soft, sparkling sand. The bright, blue sky almost hurts our eyes as it melds with the azure water, nearly becoming one, solid entity.

A HANDSOME CARDINAL
SINGS HIS HAPPY SONG

I notice that Dan has picked-up the pace as he slips off his sandals in preparation for a brisk walk along the shoreline. Here the sand is hard-packed as the constant waves rolling in compress and compact the sand, shells, and vegetation until they feel like damp concrete beneath your feet.

"Which direction do you choose to walk today?" he asks.

"I choose to the right towards Cocoa Beach."

With the distinguishable outline of the Cocoa Beach Pier off in the distance, pulsing in the midday sunshine like a mirage offering possible shade and solace to weary desert travelers, we gently clasp hands and proceed to navigate the shallow ripples of water made by the last wave and linger on top of the sand just before being sucked back out to sea.

"SHALLOW RIPPLES"

Occasionally words are spoken but, for the most part, we listen to the familiar sounds of crashing waves, foaming madly on their journey inland. Shorebirds such as gulls, terns, sanderlings, herons, and egrets seem to line-up for their photo ops in-between looking for food by probing the wet sand with their bills. I pray they can stand still long enough for me to capture on camera their distinct curves and elongated shadows before scurrying off upon the approach of humans.

"DISTINCT CURVES AND ELONGATED SHADOWS"

Because we've made this particular walk so many times in the last twenty years, we instinctively know when we both wish to turn around and head north, back towards the Cape. With the lowering sun now warming the left side of our bodies and the pounding breakers roar at us from the right side for a change, the familiar sensations now flow in the opposite direction creating new sights and sounds for our senses to delight in. 

I can't even count how many times we stop to peer out at the horizon stretching out beyond the cruise ships, sailboats, yachts, and dark shadows of commercial vessels navigating the Atlantic shipping routes. Our individual and personal thoughts float out to sea riding the stiff breeze like wishes and dreams collected just for this moment in time. 

  

CAPE CANAVERAL BEACH

The loftiness of our appearance, heads held high, mingle delightfully with the new lightness of our demeanor and spirit as we close-in on the portion of beach we'd become so familiar with. Silently we approach the short, wooden boardwalk we'd navigated an hour before. Like small children enjoying the evening hours before bedtime, we do not wish to leave this magical place and turning towards the sea, we hold hands as our sun-kissed smiles blossom across faces glowing pink from the battering of the sea breezes.

"I feel so much better now," Dan said, as pure joy sprang from my heart in waves! "Thank you for suggesting this. I always tend to forget how healing it is to walk along the beach and not have to think about anything in particular."

"I know." What more was there to say as we kiss to the lingering tune of a cardinal's sweet song and turn back to the gate that, with the help of our 'magic key,' will take us into a new dimension; a new time that will remind us that there are things in this world that are much bigger than any of us.

OUR BOARDWALK
SURROUNDED BY SEA GRAPE

Inserting the 'magic key' into the lock and swinging open the gate as wide as possible, we re-entered the world with lighter hearts and brighter spirits. Not even our beloved beach could make us forget about the trials and tribulations we all must face daily. However, living with a renewed sense of Hope and Love can lift the spirit and lighten the heavy load we all must bear while navigating this journey called Life....

Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

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