The sound of waves filled my ears. Over and over the water crashed onto the sand and then fell back to where it came from. The hot sand felt soft beneath the towel under my back. I could tell that the sun was burning my nose just a bit, but was too content with my current position to move. If I opened my eyes I would see that I was surrounded by friends, all laying on their own towels soaking up the same atmosphere that I was. A familiar emotion tugged at my heart, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Whoosh…..Whoosh. The waves continued their soothing song and my mind fell into a light sleep.
It was a Thursday afternoon and we were at the beach. I had woken up that day knowing that I had no classes and planning to maybe catch up on some homework, maybe go to the gym, or maybe do nothing at all. At this point in the semester the weeks seemed to blur together—Lima life had become my routine and the daily activities seemed all too normal. While I was not bored by any means, I definitely was itching to do something besides spend time in Surco every day.
I had just opened up my laptop when my Peru cell phone rang. And from there, my mundane Thursday at my house turned into beach day! It was even warmer out than normal and my friends had decided it was perfect beach weather. Thoughts of homework and workouts left my brain immediately. Sand. Salty water. Sunshine. That was exactly what I wanted. I put my suit on quick, grabbed a towel, hailed a taxi and a la playa we went.
We chose to go to our favorite, Playa Blanca, so that we could enjoy the clean white sand and huge rolling waves. And lucky us, both of those things were in good supply. We spent the afternoon alternating between running through the surf like children on a sugar high and lounging on our towels, not moving for an hour at a time. We had been to the beach many times before but this one felt different. I’m not sure if it was because it was a weekday or because there were not many people but that day in the sand felt extra good.
As I lay in the sand and let all my senses be filled with beach, I felt a familiar feeling. One that I had first discovered two years ago and didn’t think I’d ever be able to find anywhere but California. Peace. I felt peace. In this moment I was able to realize that peace of mind, of heart, of soul can be found anywhere. That emotion is not attached to a location, but to a way of thinking. Anything can be found anywhere in the world, all you have to do is be still and wait for it.
It was a Thursday afternoon and we were at the beach. I had woken up that day knowing that I had no classes and planning to maybe catch up on some homework, maybe go to the gym, or maybe do nothing at all. At this point in the semester the weeks seemed to blur together—Lima life had become my routine and the daily activities seemed all too normal. While I was not bored by any means, I definitely was itching to do something besides spend time in Surco every day.
I had just opened up my laptop when my Peru cell phone rang. And from there, my mundane Thursday at my house turned into beach day! It was even warmer out than normal and my friends had decided it was perfect beach weather. Thoughts of homework and workouts left my brain immediately. Sand. Salty water. Sunshine. That was exactly what I wanted. I put my suit on quick, grabbed a towel, hailed a taxi and a la playa we went.
We chose to go to our favorite, Playa Blanca, so that we could enjoy the clean white sand and huge rolling waves. And lucky us, both of those things were in good supply. We spent the afternoon alternating between running through the surf like children on a sugar high and lounging on our towels, not moving for an hour at a time. We had been to the beach many times before but this one felt different. I’m not sure if it was because it was a weekday or because there were not many people but that day in the sand felt extra good.
As I lay in the sand and let all my senses be filled with beach, I felt a familiar feeling. One that I had first discovered two years ago and didn’t think I’d ever be able to find anywhere but California. Peace. I felt peace. In this moment I was able to realize that peace of mind, of heart, of soul can be found anywhere. That emotion is not attached to a location, but to a way of thinking. Anything can be found anywhere in the world, all you have to do is be still and wait for it.