There is something therapeutic about a beach

Any beach

Sand, water, sun, a slight breeze

Striped umbrellas or palapas on a Caribbean beach

Fun beach towels, blankets and low-slung beach chairs dotting the sand

Little birds with long legs running along the water’s edge

Pecking at the wet sand and running back towards land as the water washes back towards the shore

Chasing the water as it recedes to peck again at the wet sand

Listen, you can hear the seagulls crying as they swoop over the sea

Watching them dive down to the water’s surface for a morsel to eat

Children with brightly colored buckets and shovels digging in the sand

Building castles that they and their little friends can play with

Dumping buckets of water into the moat to fill it up

Pretending the moat has alligators that will eat up trespassers

The children running in and out of the water much like the little birds

Joyfully squealing with laughter when their little feet get wet from a wave washing ashore

The beach is my happy place

The place where I can relax

Forget about work

Forget about the troubles of the world

The beach is the place where I can lay on a blanket on warm sand

Sunning myself, reading a good book, and taking a mid-day nap

The salty smell of the ocean water calming my mind and soothing my soul

Easing me into a lull, sometimes even to sleep

The sun bronzing my skin as it warms me all over

Toes digging into the warm sand

The smell of suntan lotion all around

I love to walk along the beach in the early morning when it is quiet

Seeing what washed up overnight

Collecting shells and sea glass

Looking for some small treasure to take home

The beach is the place to eat fresh seafood – shrimp, fish, clams, and crabs

And have fruity drinks with little umbrellas in them

I fall asleep at night to the rhythmic sounds of ocean waves lapping at the shore

And return home from the beach rejuvenated, refreshed, renewed

The beach is the best therapy