The strange thing about going to a beautiful Maine beach--and all beaches in Maine are beautiful, rocky or not--is that when you’re alone, you tend to talk out loud, and when you’re with someone else, you tend to be silent. It’s the beach that does this to you.
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| The magic of the Maine beach. |
Alone, you marvel at the vastness and beauty. There are no commercial outfits to distract
you. There are no handrails or roped off
areas. There’s nothing to suggest man
and civilization, and because of this, it cuts right to the chase. There’s no fooling yourself when you’re alone
on a Maine
beach. There are no lies. Everything is out in the open, and your mind
is completely on the table. There’s no
escape. When you’re on a Maine beach alone, you
face your thoughts. You have no
choice. It is completely natural to talk
right out loud and discuss your various problems with yourself. It’s not often that you get to chat with the
observer within.
When someone else is with you, the silence can be
deafening. The same thing happens to you
when you’re with someone that happens when you’re alone. The difference is that you clam up
immediately because you’re afraid of the complete honesty. It’s not a bad feeling at all; it’s a
peaceful feeling. But it’s a vulnerable
feeling. Whereas you might delve into
all sorts of problems on your own, when you’re with someone, you absorb your
candid thoughts and only pray that you can recall them later.
I prefer to go to the beach alone. This way I won’t scare anyone with my
thoughts. It’s a great way to work out
problems and a great way to see how small and insignificant the difficulties in
our lives are. It’s a washing of the
mind. The waves come in and wash out all
the encrusted thoughts. The waves go out
and leave peace in their wake. But alone
or with someone else, you leave your problems at the shore and continue on with
lighter shoulders.
