Turning of the Tide

Frustrated and depressed, Barbara walked down the dirt path towards the beach. The house, the kids, work, it all just wasn’t quite what she wanted. Each day was just as tiring as the previous one and tomorrow didn’t look much better. The house was full of trash, the yard choked with weeds, the kids hated their school and everyday her job became harder to bear.

Her feet crunched as the dirt path changed into small pebbles and shells.

Even the beach remained in its unchanged dilapidated state. A bland pebbled strand where pine trees stood on the arms of the cove sheltering it from the open sea. An ancient fishing weir crumbled in the shallows and a derelict beaver hut stood in the fresh water pond off to the side. As it was yesterday, so it remained today.

She turned down the beach and headed towards the far end, her traditional daily walk. She watched her feet; the large pebbles giving uncertain purchase. The shifting of the stones filled her mind with its ceaseless clamor. Reaching the end of the beach, the pebbles gave way to a small sandbar where a stream poured into the cove. It was here that Barbara sat with her face to the sea and waited.

With her knees hugged to her chest and her eyes closed, Barbara emptied her mind. She at least tried to. She had lost that knack a few months ago. Now, in these moments on the beach all she ever heard were echoes of her day.

“Mommy, I don’t wanna go to school!”

“Is my Tommy shirt clean?”

“Mrs. Whitney, I expected that report yesterday.”

“The PTO is meeting tomorrow at 3, wont you come?”

A single tear fell down her cheek.

The grey waves swept softly to her feet and crept back down, brushing the sand clean. A small red crab scuttled towards an empty horseshoe shell, searching for safety from the tide.

Lost in her own misery, Barbara didn’t notice the shadow that fell across her vision. It was probably a cloud.

“A beautiful day, isn’t it?” A voice said.

Barbara looked up, only to see the shape of a person silhouetted in the sun’s glare. Automatically she replied, “I suppose.” She turned back to the sea and considered briefly what she had said. “Actually, I hadn’t noticed.”

Silence reined for several minutes. Then the stranger said, “I often come here to think. It usually doesn’t work, thinking that is. The sound of the sea distracts me. But after a walk on the pebbles, I always feel better.” A pebble skipped across the waves-two, three, four-and then skittered into the surf.

A long arm came into Barbara’s sight. “See, out there.” Barbara followed the finger. “The gulls are following some seals, hoping for a free meal.”

A small flock of seagulls hovered anxiously over some choppy water. Sunlight flashed off a small sleek grey body. A smile tugged at Barbara’s face. The cry of the birds and lap of the water pulled her briefly away from less pleasant thoughts.

Barbara turned to thank the stranger. All she saw was a man strolling up the beach, already too far away. Bemused, she again looked at the waves and watched.

She watched the sun play as it danced across the water, the foam sink slowly into the gravelly sand, and the breeze tug at the branches of the huge trees overlooking the cove. Her ears opened and were greeted by a cacophony of life. The stream gurgled, waves rolled over the pebbles, gulls cried and the wind in the trees whispered.

She closed her eyes and found the peace of the late afternoon.

She let her mind wander. It predictably returned to her previous thoughts. The messy house. An overgrown yard. Unhappy kids and a cranky boss.

But, she loved that house. It just needed a little work. The yard would take a day of mowing and weeding, but it would be fine. The kids…when was she ever happy as a kid? Let them be, the sea suggested. Time would take care of the kids. Her boss? Well, that would be a problem for another day.

Barbara got up to return home. As she worked her way back towards the dirt path she noticed that the beaver hut was actually being repaired. The maples on the edge of the pond were tinged red with the approach of autumn. She thought the changes subtle, but they were changes.

She paused on the beach, smiling a quiet smile now. It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would be better, she promised herself.

Confidently she strode up the path towards hearth and home.