Footprints in the sand

The mid-semester break couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s not that I don’t enjoy university, or think the workload is overly stressful and exhausting...It’s just that I’m keen to step back from everything and relax for a while.

Lately I’ve been noticing the tell tale signs of spring and summer – an increase in temperature, the billion shards of light amidst the high-rolling waves, faces covered in zinc and the somewhat rejuvenating smell of freshly mown grass. The other day I walked into my garage to find a pair of flippers, and caught a scent that brought me back to the year 2000. Images of water-logged watches, hoses on full blast, mini swimming pools and ice-cream cones raced through my mind (weird, I know). I don’t exactly know how to explain it, but flashbacks like that catalyse a great deal of optimism within me. If we remember the good times, do we then look forward to equally good times? Nonetheless, I can safely say that where I am going is not where I’ve been...and this spring/summer is going to be wicked.

I often look forward to holidays because they carry a ‘fresh start’ banner with them...in a way, mid-semester eve is a lot like New Years Eve (if you think about it). People generally need this banner to motivate them to change, but really, in the end all it comes down to is self evaluation and reflection. We can flip our routine around anytime we want...although I guess the problem isn’t knowing – the problem is doing. People say that this is the critical decade...but why not make it the critical year?

One of the best things about September is the beach! Hopefully I’ll be able to spend a stack of time on the coast in the next few weeks. You’ve probably realised by now that I have a slight obsession. The ocean is my haven – the feeling of sitting on my board out past the break (and level with the headland) is almost unbeatable. The rhythmic sound of waves becomes second nature to me, and my head is cleared in a matter of minutes. At work, I love seeing posters like ‘I surf because...it keeps me coming back for more’ because they are so true! Ever since I was little, I’ve loved the sight of sand and crystal clear water. I used to dart across the shoreline and draw faces with a tide-washed stick. I remember being so fascinated by the fact that my footprints would disappear and be swept away by the rushing whitewash. These days when I think about footprints in the sand, I think about my past and present: sometimes I get so caught up in my mistakes that I forget to move forward. Maybe that’s why I find the ocean so liberating? Maybe it helps me realise that the best is yet to come? I mean of course the past matters, but it shouldn’t define who we are.    

Anyway, I’m off to football but I’ll be sure to post another blog soon! There are heaps of things that I’d love to talk about!

Quote Bank: “The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him, his own.” -Benjamin Disraeli