Sunrise and a trip to the beach

This morning I woke up as the sun was rising. Hues of reddish orange gently illuminating the horizon, heralding the first morning of daylight savings time. This ephemeral moment of beauty and stillness was just the celestial nudge I needed to make today about self care. Everything else would just have to wait.

Hagrid and I hit the road and headed for the beach. As we wound through roads lined on both sides with marshland, I rolled my windows down to breathe in the salt air. Hagrid poked his nose up in anticipation. I wondered if he remembers the beach from previous seasons. What I would give to be able to read his mind for a day!

Wingaersheek Beach, Gloucester, MA on a 50 degree March morning.

Yay! Dogs are allowed off leash on this beach on odd days before May 1.

I marveled at how quiet it was (in my mind more people would be at the beach on a gorgeous March morning like today), and thanked the universe for giving me just what I needed. It was low tide, as though the ocean was beckoning us to peek into its mysterious bottom. The sounds of the waves gently lapping against the shore soothed my soul. I smiled at an oft-told story of my grandmother dipping my bottom in the ocean to cure me of diaper rash. Grandma liked to say that there is nothing salt water from the ocean cannot cure.

For a brief moment I wondered why I didn't come to the beach more often before dogs are banned between May 1 and September 30, and then I remembered: last year, at this time, we still had mountains of snow piled high, turning sidewalks into narrow one-way paths. 

Here I am a year later on the beach with Hagrid, and I didn't even need gloves or a hat. 

I need to make time to pause and go to the beach with my dog more often. Everything else will just have to wait.

We practically had the whole beach to ourselves. My slice of heaven!

So many good smells to explore.