The Beach Is Her Sanctuary

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The beach is her sanctuary. The sand under her feet is her foundation. The waves lapping at the shore are her symphony. In good weather or bad, her soul is always at peace by the ocean. 

It’s winter and morning. The air is cold and biting. The sky is overcast and threatening snow. It doesn’t matter. The beach is deserted and exists only for her.

She looks at the water and the waves softly breaking. She looks at the snow covered jetty and the coastline beyond. She breathes the salt air and listens to the gulls overhead.

One step after another, she walks the beach leaving footprints in the sand. What once was smooth and touched only by the sea, now bears witness to her passing. Tracks along the shore. Memories for her mind.

She isn’t alone. She’s here with her lover. He quietly watches her as she walks in her solitude. No longing. No jealousy or envy. No expectations. He observes her in the moment, delighted and grateful to know his love is at peace.

She feels his gaze as she walks. It makes her smile. She knows this place is special to him. Sharing it, she feels his love. He is part of her and always will be. She wonders if he knows? 

Stopping, she looks back to find him. She was right. He is there and watching. She feels him in her heart. Lost in the moment, the world slips away and serenity finds her. Her soul is calm and quiet. She’s at peace and happy.

His Old Friend

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The shirt is an old friend. It is made from a soft cotton ticking cloth with wide blue and white stripes. It is well worn, oversized, and comfy, like a blanket is warm and inviting on a chilled night.

The shirt is his favorite. It is a cherished garment that has been lovingly tended and preserved for years. It is the first shirt he wears after doing wash. It is the only shirt he enjoys wearing no matter the season or the setting. 

Now his old friend is laying in his lap. It is freshly unwrapped from the package that arrived in the mail. Flat and pressed, the shirt is lifeless and somehow less than what it once was. He looks at it with tears in his eyes. 

It has been awhile since he has seen his shirt and old friend. The reunion is unexpected and comes as a shock. Emptiness fills him. Loss and sadness flood through him. Waves of emotion begin to consume him, claiming him and stealing his soul.

He knows only despair and isolation in this moment. No longer in control, the tears that welled up in his eyes begin to fall. They run down his face and land on the shirt in his lap. He sits quietly and trembles as his tears pool on his old friend. 

The shirt should not be here. His old friend should not be tear stained and laying in his lap. He gifted it to his love, the woman that is his everything and his forever. He gave her the shirt as he gave her himself. 

He remembers her joy and excitement when he handed her the shirt. He remembers the love in her eyes and the smile on her face as she wore it for the first time. His old friend was now her new friend. It was a symbol of their bond and life together. 

As she slowly ran her hands over it, the shirt immediately enveloped her in his love and devotion. It carried his scent and, now, blended with hers. His old friend embraced her and became her warm blanket on a chilled night. It became her shirt for all seasons.

He last saw his old friend on his love. She wore it for him lose and open. She treasured being in it and near him. She cherished being embraced by both, loved and protected in their touch. 

The shirt is now laying lifeless in his lap, tear stained and wet. His old friend returned to him without warning or word. The love of his life, his everything and forever, silent and lost to him.

A Thousand Kisses Deep

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It was a late April evening back in 2013, I ventured online to listen to a close friend DJ’ing a live stream. My friend’s name is Irish and, when I tuned her in, she was playing a song from a musician I was not familiar with. The artist’s name was Leonard Cohen and the song was, A Thousand Kisses Deep.

As I sat and listened to Leonard’s aged voice sing the haunting lyrics of his song, I began thinking about recent events in life. Speaking about opportunities and people in one’s life that cannot change as well as accepting paths never envisioned, this song affected me in ways that are difficult express.

Endings… Things that will never be… Journeys not to be taken… People left behind… Futures never realized…

And quiet is the thought of you,
The file on you complete,
Except what we forgot to do,
A Thousand Kisses Deep.
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And sometimes when the night is slow,
The wretched and the meek,
We gather up our hearts and go,
A Thousand Kisses Deep,

Wow… These words gave me such pause and, yet, sent chills through me. 

That year, 2013, produced so much joy for me. I had made real efforts to change my life and karma, personally and professionally. Good things were happening. And then, my life took control away… A Thousand Kisses Deep.

That is what I felt and feel when I listen to Leonard’s song. As sad as that seems, though… A Thousand Kisses Deep also reminds me that when one door closes another opens. Closure always breeds new opportunities and fresh beginnings. It is this ebb and flow of closure and opportunity that defines us and our lives. It is the balance of all that has taken place, rather than any single episode or period, that matters.

So, remember fondly those people and the paths that were and could have been. It is okay to do so. With that in mind… Embrace your present and look to your future, knowing it is filled with opportunity and fresh beginnings.

Or, in the words of Leonard Cohen…

I’m turning tricks,
I’m getting fixed,
I’m back on Boogie Street.

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