“Time wasted at the beach is time well spent.” – Unknown
I have lived in Malaga for two months, and outside of a tiny trip with a friend to her vacation home, I have stayed in the town center. I had vowed that today I would venture on a bus or metro to go to another town, but it didn’t happen. Therefore, I would simply walk further by the beach for my daily walk. It was interesting, because I think my dog Bella knew this.
We walked towards Malagueta, and generally stop at one of the first two grassy areas to sit. But today we walked further, not much further. There was a beautiful opening to the beach and empty benches looking at the Mediterranean. Bella stopped and took towards the sea, then pawed at my leg. She seemed to say, “this is good enough.” We don’t have to walk further to experience the beach differently, we can actually walk the area differently.
And so we walked towards the sea, it was the first time in these two months that Bella’s paws touched the water. She’s not a water dog, and runs away from it versus towards it. Therefore, as I walked barefoot in the sand, I carried her during this process. Bella is my fourteen year old chihuahua pug mix, and although she has a curious heart, her paws get tired every so often. As we walked, I saw beautiful seashells that still capture my sense of awe, as they did when I was a child. Previously when we only stayed in the other grassy areas, what I saw was remnants of litter from prior picnics. But I realized I need to walk in the sand to see the shells.
We sat on a new grassy area for awhile, which was clean and less crowded. We experienced the beach differently. On our return walk home, we took a new route. And this was our version of an adventure today. It doesn’t take much to have a shift in perspective. We don’t have to spend loads of money by travelling to far off lands, but we can take a new route in our own town or in our local parks. Interacting with the land in a new way keeps our relationship fresh, just like in marriages. We need to see and appreciate the space from a new perspective to keep the flutter in our hearts. And for that today, I am appreciative of our new walk.
It Only Takes A Smile 