Autumn By The Sea

Yes, they’re finally gone! The locusts have left the beaches!

Locusts, that’s what I so fondly call summertime invaders, also known as tourists. I love to notice that brief amazing time when seasons change, but here by the sea, autumnal magic also brings about peace and quiet, a sense of relief for all of us, locals.

There’s magic in the world, even for a non-superstitious person – nature richly provides with that, if we’re willing to perceive and appreciate it. There’s also the way certain naturally magical places and/or moments can affect us. Personally, I rely on the sea for its amazingly soothing and calming effect, and autumn couldn’t arrive soon enough this year, so I could get my quality time with the sea.

I could afford the luxury of an afternoon on the beach this week, taking advantage of summerlike weather. Clearly I wasn’t the only one with such thoughts on my mind, but it was mostly us, locals, and a few low-budget tourists, minding their own business. The wild crowds are suddenly gone. This beach was swarming with locusts people last week, they were still fighting over the chaise longues which disappeared over night, the way they do every autumn. I’ve been dreaming of a walk on this pier for months, without having to elbow my way through the throng on people taking selfies… maybe even sit on one of the benches, reading or just observing the seagulls and the fishermen, while the warm breeze messes up my hair.

That magical time is finally here and I greedily devoured it a couple of days ago. I walked on the shore and on the pier; I pulled my camera out of a worn out beach bag and took photos of birds and seashells and dead jellyfish. I just threw my towel on the sand and spent lazy moments staring at the sea, reading and taking some photos. Looking closely, I get the feeling that even the birds are enjoying the newly rediscovered tranquillity; they move at a leisurely pace while looking for food or they’re relaxing in the sun, no need to worry or hurry up. Around me, they’re still packing up summer – most of it is already gone. No, I don’t mean the season itself, I mean the season on the beach.

The high-end beach club further up is now a boarded up shack, as is almost everything else, and it will remain this way until next summer. Hard to tell what’s trendy and what’s obsolete now… It’s the same every year – it appears and disappears in the blink of an eye, as if someone casts a spell. Don’t pass by for a day or two and pouf! An entire illusory summer world is gone! (I usually get nostalgic, but this time I’m not sorry to see it go.)

As I’m reluctantly folding my towel, getting ready to leave, I think back of a time many moons ago when I understood the power of the sea. The cold shore on a December day provided me with the peace and perspective I was craving. My mind stopped spiralling and I could find the energy I needed to move on. I can still generally rely on the sea for that sort of comfort – life may be more complicated these days, but the sea can still work its magic most of the times.

We find magic wherever we can, because the older we get, the more we need it, even if we don’t necessarily want to admit it… or is that just me? Either way, thank you, Ann-Christine, for reminding us to notice and appreciate the magic we have in our lives (Lens Artists Weekly Challenge – Magical).