My Place

Ok. So tonight I was all ready to come home and write about the beach, and its therapeutic value to me. I was going to tell you how, only a five minute walk away, I find the much needed peace and quiet I so need each day. I walk along the beach in the cool of the evenings, my sandals in one hand and my pants rolled up. My feet sink in the soft sand and I listen to the gentle break of waves on the shore. Few people are out on the beach in the evenings, and there's a calm stillness about the place. I walk, and think, and talk with the Father about all kinds of things. I need this break each day, and I look forward to the exercise and the therapy it brings me.

But, as I was leaving the beach today, trodding my usual path back home on the road, I passed to my right a wide sidewalk that I've never been down before. I always pass it when I'm leaving the beach, but I've never given it much thought. Today, something struck me and made me consider it. I had already passed it, so I backtracked and took this mystery path. (No fear, because it is well lit and well used, I just had never been down it.)

As I walked along, the beach below was in sight on my right, and a big luxury hotel was to my left. Soon I passed the hotel, and it was water on both sides of me. A few runners were using the path, as well as some hotel patrons and locals, but not too many, so I had my quiet space.

Now, usually when I walk the beach, it only takes me about 20 minutes because the parts that I can walk between are limited (because the tide is so high right now). I always feel like my walks get cut short because of this. So it was so nice to find this new path!

When I reached the end, I was very pleasantly surprised.

I saw up ahead three golden dolphins perched in a plaza at the end of the path. I entered what is called "Dolphin Square." The dolphin statue sits in the middle of a very large, flat, circular plaza (so not sure why it's called Dolphin 'square', but that's another matter). It was sort of like a peninsula, jutting out and surrounded by water on three sides. Just across was the airport, and in the darkness I could watch planes land and take off, but they weren't so close that the sounds were loud or distracting. Just lots of lights coming and going. And I could see the dark mountains behind the lit buildings, and then the shimmering water ... it was just beautiful. And the plaza itself was relatively empty, with just myself and two others in the massive expanse.

I'm so grateful to have been drawn to this place, and to have a new 'spot' to chat with Him, to clear my head, and to have some 'me' time. It is definitely going on my usual route for evening walks.