Become a Beach Bum?

I’ve had a treat over the weekend to visit the beach each morning and walk along the boardwalk for a couple of hours. It always amazes me as to how many people choose to sacrifice what seems to be everything to live on the doorsteps of the ocean waves. As I walked early along the beach walk it wasn’t a surprise to see many asleep on the various benches and even along the beach wall that protects the various hotels and condos along the boardwalk.

I know that the crowds that take up the streets and various sports bars and eating establishments at night are a different crowd that makes it way to the beach strip to be part of the happening crowds. Yet, those who live on the street see the beach as a way of life and self-expression. I will always remember my first real encounter with a young man that lived on the streets who had lived a tough life where he lived between institutions and the streets. His salient point was always that he didn’t fit in ‘city life’ and he preferred the street life. He has spent the majority of his life on the street or behind bars. He specifically chose to live either in San Diego or in Florida to be close to the ocean.

Yes, I admit that when I was in college I tried to live close to the ocean and actually succeeded for a number of years. I was fortunate to have an amazing wife and we both worked early morning hours that enabled us to live on the edge of the ocean facing the sand dunes. I will always remember our runs on the sand dunes along the ocean edge. It was as if we were living in paradise. Yet, the birth of our first child and the lure of further education and jobs took us away.

My compromise in life at present is to take several intentional breaks from the action and go back to the beach to enjoy the sunrise and sunset. I love just walking for a couple of hours on the boardwalk to breathe in the ocean smells and observe who happens to be out there. Truly this would be an amazing life to have the opportunity and means to live on the edge of where real life meets the ocean. This is the time I use to reflect on life’s journey and have an opportunity to recharge or discharge the tough things in life.

I appreciate the reality that many of those up early in the morning walking are the seniors who have chosen to live their golden years on the beach’s edge. Clearly this requires some financial means or a willingness to continue working beyond retirement. I’m sure both the retiree and the beach bum would agree that being on the edge of the world is a life enriching experience!

So is it possible to incorporate this beach mindset in daily life? It is so easy to become wrapped up in the non-essentials of life and rush frantically from meeting to meeting or making something into an emergency that could actually wait until tomorrow? I know some will take a glass jar of sand to bring along as a reminder that they can slow down and see the sunrise or sunsets hopefully on a daily basis. Others will get some type of air freshener that is the ocean smell and also have pictures on the wall of the waves breaking into the shoreline.