A Day At The Beach

Vibrant beach painting — StockCake: https://stockcake.com/i/vibrant-beach-painting_1233923_985976

Summer is here in Europe!

The time where we travel to neighbouring or faraway lands on our continent, to slow down, relax, spend more time with Mother Nature and remember what life is really about. 

Or do we?

It is 4 years ago when I last went on what we call a beach holiday in the south of our continent. Flights, Airbnb, sandals, sunscreen, beach bag.

My heart giddy with joy: sand in the feet! Swimming in warm water! Snorkelling!

I put my goggles on and start paddling along the beach line.

Marvelling at the million hues of blues, poked by beams of sunlight dancing through the different layers of water.

What display of colours and light!

What beauty. Right here, in front of my goggled eyes.

My eyes follow the sunlight deeper through the water.

And then…

Nothing.

Between the sunlight hitting the surface and the sand it dances on, there is… nothing.

No fish.

No life.

Only water.

I am confused.

This is not what I remember from my teenage years at the Spanish shoreline!

There is supposed to be fish here.

Small, big and anything in between.

They are supposed to nibble on my feet!

And over there, by the shallow rocks, there should be mussels and octopuses.

Why are they not here?

I take my goggles off and slowly turn toward the land.

In the back of my mind, I can feel something is clicking into place. Slowly.

My eyes move carefully along the beach.

Scanning the long lines of umbrellas.

The cafes and restaurants, the small shops full of colourful beach gear.

And behind that small stretch of human fun and joy, the mountains are climbing into the sky.

My gaze follows the mountains up and up.

And then… Again.

On these mountains there is… nothing.

The plants and trees all died away in the heat.

Burned to the ground in the latest wildfire.

Only dry soil left where there should be lush vegetation.

Like the water I am standing in, that land is dead.

I look at my fellow humans at the beach.

Basking in the sunshine.

Laughing.

Playing.

Content.

Wearing a level of relaxation on their faces we rarely see in day-to-day life anymore.

And I know.

This is what they mean when they say:

Once you see, you can’t unsee.