on the path…brack toe part 4
The orange worked. I felt great. I had written down my info for our hiking friend and I ask if she has any sunscreen. She came prepared, with not only sunscreen but nose screen as well!
I was impressed with the SPF variety she kept in her trunk.
Then she pulled a beach bag out.
A large weave type bag with a blanket, flaxseed crackers and blueberries. Tim had extra water and a bag of trail mix in his Suburu. I had 2 clif bars left (of course) in the backpack.
We decided to walk to the Pacific Ocean about a 1/2 mile away.
The whole day just presented itself this way. In my mind it was already as good as it could get. See the sidebar if you want to know why.
sidebar:
I say this because the few days before were particularly tough. I was informed my training as a music editor had ended. It turns out they needed someone with more experience and more attuned to the ‘data entry’ side of the gig. I’m euphemising to save face of course. Did I even use that word right? Friday night of labor day weekend, I was still in shock and honestly angry. Tim and a composer colleague were going to see a lecture by an Indian guru in town. I thought I’d go too.
I liked him because he talked slow. Plus he had a job actually using his ability to speak deliberately. He kept saying over and over,
“stop trying to follow the meaning behind words and thoughts.
Trace the words back to the source of which they came.”
Have you ever tried to stop thinking? I had an incredible amount of chatter and random thoughts in my brain all in reaction to my situation. I actually found the guru’s words helpful; At least in diffusing my embarassment a bit.
So by the time Monday rolled around I was very ready to be out in nature. To my best observance, nature is happy with itself just as it is. It does it’s thing whether in Raleigh, NC; Jackson, MS; or Malibu, CA. It doesn’t pay rent, or judge a person’s ability regarding data entry. So I loved it and found myself very present in an Eckhart Tolle “Power of Now” sort of way.
BACK TO THE STORY:
We play frogger with the traffic on highway 1 with all of our supplies and talking about Steve Erwin and the stingray that killed him the night before. We were all really sad about that. We were also talking about the salamander we saw at the falls and this prompted me to relate a dream about a salamander/eel/leech type of animal I had recently. Too much Napolean Dynamite I guess. All I know is that in the dream I didn’t want the thing on me. We walk past long rows of beach front property with enough cars to stock a Lexus/Audi dealership.
When we arrive at the beach entrance we find Joe and Pamon waving their hand towards us getting our attention right away.
We set up the blanket and start eating the organic blueberries right away. After liberal applications of SPF30 to my nice farmer’s tan, we all head out to the ocean. I remember at Joe mentioning something about rocks twenty feet in. I nod like Stimpy I guess to acknowledge that I heard some sort of words being spoken.
We all run to the waves as if in a soda commercial. Joe reminds us again. Watch out for the rocks! At that moment my right toe jammed in a crevice and the ball of my foot hit something very pointy. Luckily I was in salt water so it burned like hell. The burning subsided into a nice endorphine numbness. You the kind that makes you wonder if you broke a toe? Then you look at your foot and think. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a broken toe it just matters if it’s still attached.”
The other 3find a place to stand and tread water. This is my first time in a long time to be in the Pacific water and decide to float.
I float pretty far out to where I can’t touch bottom. So far out only Tim comes out there to ask if I relalize I’m drifting.
I realize he’s right, and it occurs to me, if a stingray or other animal could take Steve Erwin at any time the same could happen to me. And at that moment I made a certain peace with myself. The deep respect I had for my oceanic environment helped a lot. I continued to float unafraid for some reason, I was already in the process of “brack toe” and settled into my body being cold, numb, and gently adrift all at once.