My Mind's Eye By Cyndi Woods

My Minds Eye

By Cyndi Woods

   In my mind’s eye, there is a place I love to go. It has a beautiful clear blue sky with just a few feathery white clouds stretching out in patches. The sun plays hide and seek with the clouds, ducking behind, then peeking out from the edges of the whispery white puffs. Gulls soar in sweeping motions across the sky as though they are jets putting on a glorious and death-defying show. The waves of the ocean lazily glide upon the shore in no real hurry to retreat. The sound of the water cresting while still making its way to the sand lulls me into a dream like state. With my chair firmly nestled in the hot sand and the gentle breeze keeping the heat from being unbearable, I wiggle my naked toes down into the layer of sand that is cooler. The smell of sea life mingles with that of coconuts and mangoes. The islandy smell of the suntan lotion is what convinced me to purchase that particular one.

   As I tip my head back against the chair, I close my eyes but only for a moment as I don’t want to miss out on this glorious scene. Taking a few nostrils full of the warm sea air, I open my eyes again and take in the sight of a school of dolphins swimming by. A couple of them feel especially frisky and leap out of the water as if in a contest to see who could jump higher. As the judge, I give them a ten out of ten for graceful performances. They dive seamlessly back into the waves with hardly a splash. After a few more tricks, just to show off you understand, they move on their way.

   Up next in the sea life circus is a flock of pelicans. They of course are not so graceful while diving into the waves looking for lunch. I watch one of them spot a fish and rapidly make his descent. He hits the water with such force that there is a massive…SPLOOSH! Surely, he has broken his scrawny pelican neck. But fortunately, I observe him surface proudly with the sought-after fish in his mouth. Now the chase is on. His birdy buddies are hot on his tail to get his goodies. They soon are out of sight with their screeches echoing behind them.

   After lounging in the sand for quite some time, I hoist myself out of the low chair and stroll down the beach. Making my way to the shore line, I stop at the waters edge just for a moment. Taking in a sharp but short breath, I let my hot feet adjust to the cool ocean water. Walking ankle deep now, I make my way along the edge, looking for interesting shells on my journey. To my delight, I find the oh so fragile sand dollars. Gingerly scooping one up, I study the tiny lines running through it. There is a tiny chip here and there on the edges displaying the battles it faced to get here. Continuing my steps, I find many different kinds of shells. Large ones, small ones, broken ones, whole ones, and everything in between. Some are colorful and some are plain. As I study the various kinds, I think how much shells were like people. All different colors, shapes, sizes, broken and unbroken. All displaying in one way or another the struggle it took to get to higher ground. Some could do it with great strength while others had some battle wounds. But nonetheless, they are all here on this shore together.

   Before I know it, I have walked so far down the shore line that when I look back to my oasis, I can no longer see it. “No matter” I thought and journey on.

   Coming upon a young couple enjoying what the beach has to offer, I smile at them and they stop for a brief conversation. I learn that they are on their honeymoon after just being married a few days ago. Bidding each other a good afternoon, we part and I watch them as they hold hands and pause for just a moment to share a sweet little kiss. Turning back to my own walk, I notice an elderly gentleman down the way. He appears to be doing a sweeping motion with his arm. As I draw closer, I can see the dampness on his cheeks and the urn in his hands. Covering my mouth with my hand I realize he is spreading ashes. I stop and, forgetting my manners, watch him for a while. He notices me staring and attempts a half smile to put me at ease I think. “I’m so sorry for intruding on your private moment sir.” I stammer. “It’s alright.” He replies in a husky voice. He tells me how he is spreading his wife’s ashes here because she loved the ocean so much. He gestures to a little house farther back up the beach and says this was where they have spent their winters for the last twenty years. He told me of his wife’s illness and how she wanted to spend her last days here. He points to an old weathered wooden lounge chair. “She… passed away right there in that chair lookin’ out over the ocean,” he explains, fighting back tears. I glance down the beach in the direction that the young married couple went. I ponder how ironic it was that I met two people newly in love just starting their lives together, then moments later meeting an old man saying goodbye to his wife of sixty-seven years. Again, both parties facing battles like the shells.

   I decide this should be the end of my trek down the beach. I give a heartfelt, sympathetic handshake to the man and head back to my own location on the sand.

   The sun is beginning to set now, giving a fiery orange glow to the sky. The water looks like a huge mirror that is only too proud to reflect the sky’s amazing light show. As the waves ripple and tumble over each other, it displays slices of glittering colors. I reach my chair and stand for a moment observing the scene around me. In one direction two people set off to start a new life together. That side of the sand is littered with shells. In the other direction, two people set out to start a new life apart. That side of the sand is also littered with shells. Shells that were all from the same kind of journey. They had all faced a battle of some kind or another. How much like shells we all are. I collect my things and head up the beach to leave. The question looms in my mind as I turn to survey the scene one last time. These shells didn’t battle each other to get here, nor did those two couples battle each other to get where they are. But they all, the shells and the couples, will end up in the same place. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could realize that we are all on this journey called life together? I keep this thought with me whenever I meet someone new. They are on this journey with me too.