Slice of Life Story Challenge March 12 -The Influence of The Sea

  


The Influence of the Sea


Because I live close to the sea, it is part of who I have become. It exists as an influence in my day to day life. For many years now it has been important to be in close proximity to it. It’s a spirit thing. It’s a visual thing. The mere sight of the sea is balm for the soul. Through all its variations from sapphirine blue to brooding grey I have come to embrace its presence in my life and that of my family.

When the wind is right I smell it –a familiar scent borne on the breeze. Seagulls squawk in and around our streets. They are feathered place markers, reminding me the sea is forever beyond the rise.



 













I am drawn to the sea in all seasons. In summer I sit on towels and under umbrellas at the water’s edge. I enter the surf with comparative ease at this time. It sparkles before me like a jewel. It delivers the promise of relief from summer’s blast of heat.

 As summer fades in intensity, I eke out the opportunities autumn offers to continue the bathing experience. Each swim is a precious offering. It could be the last ocean dip for many months. Winter will arrive all too soon.



Even in winter I can walk the shoreline, rugged up and ready to resist the chilling winds blowing off the sea and bullying the foreshore. I beach-comb with keen eyes hoping to stumble upon small treasures the latest storm has abandoned on the sand. It’s a cold place then, but who cares? The air nips at my face with a raw freshness and the majesty of the sea is in the ascendancy.

Eventually the time will come again when I can once again wade into the waves. In the late spring the air will be plump with warmth, the water though will still be bitterly cold. The first swim of the season will be faced with renewed trepidation. The sea and I will have to rekindle our relationship. After my hesitant swim, I will shudder and shake and seek the embrace of a welcoming towel.
The sea remains a gift to my life…






Comments

  1. mbhmaine12 March 2016 at 20:55

    Your slice about how your life is intertwined with the sea is beautifully crafted. Your words paint a beautiful picture of this relationship and they are augmented by the vivid photographs. I love the idea of seagulls as feathered place markers--so clever. This really is a wonderful slice! It's tempting me to walk on the beach today. Thanks so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright13 March 2016 at 13:29

      Thank you Molly for your kind remarks. i am well pleased if my piece inspires you to walk on your beach today.

      Delete
  2. Book Mama12 March 2016 at 21:35

    Gorgeous words, beautiful photographs. This summer our family will be trading woods for sound--moving from a woodsy part of northern Virginia to Edmonds, WA, to overlook the Puget Sound. Now my daydreams are filled with the question: What will it be like to live so close to water and mountains? You gave me a little glimpse into my future by sharing your relationship with the sea with me (and all of us)...thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright13 March 2016 at 13:33

      The opportunity to experience different setting adds richness to our lives and nourishes our writing too. I always find myself in awe of Annie Dillard's writing in Pilgrim At Tinkers Creek (set in the Blue Ridge valley of virginia). She taught me so much about appreciating setting.

      Delete
  3. Dogtrax12 March 2016 at 21:54

    The sea and I
    must rekindle
    our affair ...
    I have been gone
    too long and
    she has been restless
    in the night,
    drawing on the moon
    for more than mere
    light ...
    I feel what I cannot see,
    closing my eyes
    to drink deep of
    swirling currents,
    and finally ....
    letting go.

    --Kevin, lifting part of a line for poem as comment

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright13 March 2016 at 13:36

      Kevin I love where you took those words-
      'she has been restless
      in the night,drawing on the moon
      for more than mere
      light ...'
      The sea has a strong connection for we poets.

      Delete
  4. Jennifer Laffin13 March 2016 at 00:04

    A beautiful tribute to the sea! This land-locked Wisconsin girl appreciates it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright13 March 2016 at 13:39

      Jennifer, while I live on an island continent, its vastness means many feel that sense of being land locked here at times. I grew up some distance from the sea as you do now. So i understand your Wisconsin perspective. It has been as an adult that my sea life has developed. Thank you for your kind words.

      Delete
  5. Michelle Li13 March 2016 at 05:19

    After reading your slice, I want to take a trip to the ocean. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Suzanne13 March 2016 at 11:52

    I love your walk through the seasons of the sea. The seasons of a forest seem so obvious to all but the seasons of a sea can only be had by the truly familiar. Great structure to your piece.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright13 March 2016 at 13:42

      Only those who live in an around a forest would truly appreciate the seasonal changes and how they manifest themselves. Thank you for your kind remarks.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous13 March 2016 at 13:36

    I grew up far from the sea. Every encounter I have had with the sea throughout my life left indelible impressions on my heart. I have often wondered how it would be to live near the sea year-round. You gave a glimpse. Enchanting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright13 March 2016 at 13:45

      Like you I grew up some distance from the sea and came to know the hills,valleys ridges and mountains. All these settings offer unique experiences and perspectives if we view them with a keen eye and an open heart.

      Delete

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