Morning Beach

It is early in the morning and the sky is still dim. The immured beach is quiet besides a flock of seagulls pecking at leftover food wrappers. The yellow, phosphorescent sunrise emerges in the distance. The warm, glowing rays greet me with a friendly hello. Miles of shimmering blue water and brown sugar sand encompass me. As I walk along blanket of sand, along the shore, my footprints show my path and are quickly washed away by the waves, turning the shore into a blank canvas. The crashing waves splash my skin feels as refreshing as an ice cold drink on a summer day. The howling wind whistles along the beach like an arriving train as I return to the main area. The rhythmically pounding waves sound peaceful.

I walk to a long strip of shops to admire their exquisite commodities. Small, beachfront shops prepare for the day’s customers who will rummage through their merchandise. Key-holders set the seaside products outside their shops. Fashionable clothes and jewelry are propped in the windows, beside brightly colored seashells. I smell fresh coffee and pastries as I pass a Starbucks Coffee shop. As I continue my morning stroll, I only see joggers along the usually busy sidewalks of Clearwater Avenue. I head back to the beach. Some friends play a competitive game of Frisbee near the beach’s pier. The soft blanket of sand cushions one of the adolescents as he reaches high and then dives for the disk. I look to my left and hear the beach is now filled with laughter. Children run to the water’s edge with small buckets and spades in hand as parents unload chairs, towels, toys, and picnic supplies from their over-packed vehicles. The over-powering scent of sunscreen now mixes with the saliferous scent of the ocean as I near the water. The moist, gritty sand squishes between my toes as my toes meet with the sunbaked water. With one swift leap into the briny deep, the Gulf of Mexico cradles me. I am relaxed, as if I am in a warm bubble bath after a stressful day. I glance into the crystal blue water and small fish assemble my legs-craving my attention. In the distance of progressing white caps, cruise ships appear to be on the world’s edge. Patches of puffy, cotton-white clouds catch my eye as they drift above me. I let myself absorb the intensive rays as they reflect on the water beneath me. I sit on the beach and observe the alluring seascape.

From my sand filled beach chair, children are turning feather-like sand into imagination-filled sandcastles, and an elderly couple enjoying a good book together. I run my fingers through my long dirty blonde hair and I inhale the aroma of the salty humid air, as I exhale I can feel the weight of my stress leaving me- like a seagull drifting in the wind without a care. Shoreline waves crash against small children with the force as that of football players and cause them to frantically turn away. Out onto the far ocean, a jet-ski rider races into the horizon as fast as a bullets out of a revolver.

The fire burning sun is slowly descending off of its intense heat, and towels are given out. The beachfront shops are starting to pack up and prepare to close for the evening; I can only imagine the success they achieved today. Slowly, one by one, patrons’ distance themselves from the shoreline after a tiresome day. Some people stick around to experience the breathtaking view of the sunset. Finally, the sun dips into a pool of endless light. I become captivated by my surroundings.