As I cruised the soft sand on an early morning seaside stroll, the mild pre-spring temperature, the subdued posture of the sea, the light offshore breeze and the expansive east and westerly views all transported me on sweet carpet ride to some days long gone by.
The soft gray colors, the salty smells, the slushy sand, the soft shape of the cottages lining the beach and the long regal OB pier took me way way back. And I don’t mean back like last year or the year before, I mean days and nights in 92, 90, 86 and then some.
I’m not sure where all the nostalgia was coming from but it felt good and I let it flow.
I thought of walks with friends on the very same sand I was currently on, I thought about being on the end of the pier with on old warrior who has since gone home, I thought about the shores on east coast and the cast of characters that I spent so many early mornings with as a boy and as a young man.
I found myself thinking about jokes, that came out real life scenes, that some of my closest friends and I still laugh about (almost every time) we talk or connect in person.
I was laughing out loud and snorting at times as I was walking and thinking about the absurdity of the situations and,… how over thirty years later the scenes and thoughts of those moments still made me belly laugh, out loud, in public, alone.
If my friends and I are lucky enough to get another 40, 50, 60 years I don’t have any doubt we will still be making the same chokes and referencing some of the same wonderfully absurd scenes that have been etched so deeply into our heads and hearts and shaped our view of those days.
After my stroll I stood waste deep in the chilly sea, saying a little a prayer as I do almost every time I take these good morning walks, (I call em good mornings) thinking how incredibly beautiful everything around me was in that moment and how lucky I was to have such enduring, endearing, rich and meaningful relationships. Relationships that are anchored in a common history, deep trust and loyalty through the highs, lows and changes of the last 4 decades.
New friends are important and I believe it’s crucial that we keep expanding, but old friends… those are priceless and should be maintained with the time, effort and tenderness they deserve.
Be well, do good work and keep in touch,
CD
