July in recent years has meant three things to me: working, working out, and working on my tan. So far this year, I have attained two of my three Ws. I started working out in earnest again on July 1st, I began to work at summer school on July 8th, but it is currently Bastille Day – July 14th – and I had not been to the beach since Memorial Day weekend. Meatloaf might espouse “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” but my yearning to put my feet in the sand at Cottage Place was pervasive.
Today was my day. The weather looked perfect and even the traffic along the Parkway to Long Branch was not as bad as one would expect on a glorious July day at the Jersey Shore. There is not a parking lot at this lovely beach and some days a rather close space on a side street opens up, but today was not that day. It doesn’t hurt much to work for the reward of a day at the beach but the only space I found was blocks away. Trekking toward the beach is by far the more rewarding.
Today was almost flawless, weather-wise. The sky was a shade of blue which I would call cornflower, after the Crayola crayon of the same name. The clouds were those poufy ones that English teachers are referring to when they are explaining metaphors and similes. You know that one: The cloud is like a cotton ball. Or the other. The cloud is a cotton ball. You get the picture. The sun was strong but the gentle breeze mitigated its strength.
After my trek from East Bumble, parking wise, I set up my chair and put down my blanket. The requisite application of sunscreen was next then I lay down and exhaled. That is what happens. It is like a sigh of relief that I have made it here to the place that soothes my soul. Working out takes care of the body, summer school takes care of the mind, but the soul needs to be fed by the beach. Here’s where Billy Joel comes in: “It’s All About Soul.” I neglected my body for awhile and that does me no good. I am usually thinking or reading so my mind is usually at work, but there are only a few things that properly soothe my soul. Even the drive to the beach with the windows open and my hair blowing is part of the soul soothing sensation. Today it really was all about soul. Even the book I began today was perfect for the process. I am now 67 pages into a book by Michelle Gable called The Book of Summer, and I am enjoying it immensely.
I was at the beach for two and a half hours when I began to think I should leave soon, but I kept delaying my departure because the day was so lovely. It was difficult to force myself to go. Anyone who has seen the Parkway on a summer Sunday afternoon-into-evening knows it can get quite congested with beachgoers heading north. So, reluctantly, I reversed my routine and schlepped the three long blocks to my car. Cars were beginning to multiply even along the back roads but, luckily, my trip is not very long. The Parkway was crowded but moving.
I do hope to have more July beach days, some with my daughters, to shed my cares and woes, at least for a bit. I have a need to stockpile the warmth of the sun and the caress of the breeze so when the winter winds come blowing in, I will be able to recall a lovely day at the beach and be able to carry on. When life between summers wraps us in its chilly grip, memories may get us through.