Day Off
Well its always an adventure getting to the posting area, but today was much quicker but not without mystery.
The weather forecast repeated the same noncommital clouds and sun, with a possible stray shower without a hint of emotion or investment in the percentages, so I dawdled a while putting together a spartan pb&j and iced decaf together with an old sheet, a beach towel, and a personal sized picnic cloth, and finally tossed in a chair and umbrella and chancing it, headed for the beach with an unabridged book on tape for the nearly 2 hour trip.
This was to be a magic trip I knew because when I stopped at the bank a quick check revealed I had more money in my account than I expected. Just a few miles down the road when I stopped to get some mouchoires I had my second serendipitous encounter. On my way out of the store a large African American man with a large diamond like stone in his ear parked next to my car greeted me from his car, with the usual. I, in turn, inquired after his well-being which yielded an invitation to ask more whereupon he gratefully shared that his mom had just recieved the kidney she'd been waiting for for months. Happy to be drawn in to this man's joy and a glimpse of his inner life I lingered in wishing him and his mother well and finally resumed my journey, marveling all the while at the magic of connection between strangers.
Once on the turnpike the usual thoughts of this being the perfect time for my car to have some kind of a breakdown found their way to the front of my mind. Would it be certain death or just an expensive inconvenience? The smarter part of me mercifully intervened and held up a picture of the reruns of this scenario calling it nonsense, the habitual companion of my innocent enthusiasm.
The drive was uncomplicated, the gas tank held out for our favorite Wawa in NJ where you don't have to pump your own gas and the price was good. The station is located at the same exit as Seasonal World -a store that I more than once have thought would, at this time of year, have a sale on beach items -this time I was looking for one of those simple little cabana items to replace the umbrella that too often poses a threat to other bathers in cases of windy weather. And again, when I reached the door it was clear that they had moved into the next season already as Halloween costumes and a notice saying closed for inventory reminded me to update my files and forget about Seasonal World in the future.
The clouds were begining to alternate with sun as I turned off the highway and entered the town of Avon-by-the-Sea. The crowd looked sparce and I began to hope for one of the prime parking spots right at the beach. The magic resumed as I began my "a parking place is opening up for me now" routine complete with utter certainty that no one would be leaving those coveted spots. Just as I slapped myself around a little on theat one just ahead of me (well actually just ahead of the person in front of me) some one was backing out. I took note of the striking coincidence of my momentary laps of belief and the just missed it timing I had witnessed. Fortified by that bracing lesson I held fast to the reality that what I wanted was there for me. Lo and behold there it was, ten seconds later, the perfect spot with that coveted sea side view for free -all day.
Things kept on going like that, the air was pleasantly cool, the sun came and went, I had a great magazine, talked to a few strangers, didn't burn myself, saw a family who wasn't afraid to have their little boy run naked on the beach, and made it home in time to take up my brother and sister-in-law on their invitation to a scrumptious dinner. It was a restorative day of collecting treasures.
The weather forecast repeated the same noncommital clouds and sun, with a possible stray shower without a hint of emotion or investment in the percentages, so I dawdled a while putting together a spartan pb&j and iced decaf together with an old sheet, a beach towel, and a personal sized picnic cloth, and finally tossed in a chair and umbrella and chancing it, headed for the beach with an unabridged book on tape for the nearly 2 hour trip.
This was to be a magic trip I knew because when I stopped at the bank a quick check revealed I had more money in my account than I expected. Just a few miles down the road when I stopped to get some mouchoires I had my second serendipitous encounter. On my way out of the store a large African American man with a large diamond like stone in his ear parked next to my car greeted me from his car, with the usual. I, in turn, inquired after his well-being which yielded an invitation to ask more whereupon he gratefully shared that his mom had just recieved the kidney she'd been waiting for for months. Happy to be drawn in to this man's joy and a glimpse of his inner life I lingered in wishing him and his mother well and finally resumed my journey, marveling all the while at the magic of connection between strangers.
Once on the turnpike the usual thoughts of this being the perfect time for my car to have some kind of a breakdown found their way to the front of my mind. Would it be certain death or just an expensive inconvenience? The smarter part of me mercifully intervened and held up a picture of the reruns of this scenario calling it nonsense, the habitual companion of my innocent enthusiasm.
The drive was uncomplicated, the gas tank held out for our favorite Wawa in NJ where you don't have to pump your own gas and the price was good. The station is located at the same exit as Seasonal World -a store that I more than once have thought would, at this time of year, have a sale on beach items -this time I was looking for one of those simple little cabana items to replace the umbrella that too often poses a threat to other bathers in cases of windy weather. And again, when I reached the door it was clear that they had moved into the next season already as Halloween costumes and a notice saying closed for inventory reminded me to update my files and forget about Seasonal World in the future.
The clouds were begining to alternate with sun as I turned off the highway and entered the town of Avon-by-the-Sea. The crowd looked sparce and I began to hope for one of the prime parking spots right at the beach. The magic resumed as I began my "a parking place is opening up for me now" routine complete with utter certainty that no one would be leaving those coveted spots. Just as I slapped myself around a little on theat one just ahead of me (well actually just ahead of the person in front of me) some one was backing out. I took note of the striking coincidence of my momentary laps of belief and the just missed it timing I had witnessed. Fortified by that bracing lesson I held fast to the reality that what I wanted was there for me. Lo and behold there it was, ten seconds later, the perfect spot with that coveted sea side view for free -all day.
Things kept on going like that, the air was pleasantly cool, the sun came and went, I had a great magazine, talked to a few strangers, didn't burn myself, saw a family who wasn't afraid to have their little boy run naked on the beach, and made it home in time to take up my brother and sister-in-law on their invitation to a scrumptious dinner. It was a restorative day of collecting treasures.
posted by cara graver at 6:17 PM
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