A Walk on the Beach
A nice trip to the beach and warmer weather during January can be quite satisfying. The past two years my wife and I spent the month of January at the beach in South Carolina. It is normal for the temps to be in the mid 50s in January, which is much better than the cold weather of Ohio.
Some people like the mountains, some people like snow and skiing, but we have always looked forward to being at the ocean. Not only for the great scenery and the comforting view but watching people walking on the beach, which can be entertaining.
We found that there are at least four types of people walking daily on the beach. There are those who are out for a leisurely walk with their dog. There are those who walk fast and with purpose, like they have a mission and are focused on accomplishing it. There are others who slowly walk, constantly stopping to look at shells, pick up some. keep some and throw some down. Then there are others who meander in one area focusing on the shells, spending a long time obviously looking for specific ones.
I often wonder if the people who spend so much time looking and digging for shells have a specific purpose, such as selling to the beach stores who then resell the shells. No matter the reason, you only have to watch them for a few minutes to know they are very intent on what they are looking for and what they keep.
I am not sure what the interest in the shells are, but it seems no matter how many times we visit the beach, or how many days we walk the beach, looking at the shells is an interest we just cannot help. There are so many shells on the beach and really, most look about the same. Yet, we cannot help ourselves from looking and keeping a few. I guess maybe we think we may find some unusual or special shell that no one else has seen.
For us, a walk on the beach, no matter the reason or style, is very relaxing and comforting. We cannot explain it, but we really do not try to figure it out. We just enjoy the time and keep looking at the shells.