Back rubs are beaches

Jackie:

(photos from today)

We spent the day in the Pamlico Sound with the Koenigs trying to catch a couple hundred clams. We set out this morning with a tin boat being towed behind and didn't return to Kitty Hawk until this evening. We made a fair catch- but the clams didn't come as easy as we hoped. Once we made it out of the channel and hit the first shoal, Brenden and dad had to pull the boat. Immediately, Brenden clumsily jumped around as he noticed and felt a crab latched onto his ankle. All of the sudden I was a little skitish getting into the water to begin raking. I did have my yellow, French, rubber shoes on that I found at a thrift store, however, they did not cover my ankles. No worries though, I did not end up having any encounters with crab claws.

Anyways, on our way back home we sat in the back of the Explorer, sticky, salty and hungry but too tired to do anything about it. Some weather had been moving in all afternoon and as we drove across the Oregon Inlet Bridge it was becoming more apparent. The windows were rolled down and I could smell the smoke from nearby cookouts as Brenden rubbed my sunburnt neck. It honestly felt so soothing and it made me feel sad. I couldn't help but think about how much I will miss the beach. I know we will only be in Montana/overseas for 6 months but the uncertainty of not returning to the beach was saddening.

Sometimes it's hard to enjoy the present moment because you are dreading its end. It's like a back rub- nothing could feel better- yet the thought of the person stopping and walking away almost makes you tense. They say "okay, 5 more minutes" and instead of enjoying the back rub I start to worry that the 5 minutes will be up soon. That's how I feel when i'm by the water. I love it so much I almost can't handle the thoughts of having to be away from it- sometimes to the point I can't even enjoy it. But that's no way to live. We shouldn't do not do things because they might end. We shouldn't not love because we might get hurt. We shouldn't stay in the shade because if we're in the sun we might get a little burned right?

So for now, I will welcome any back rub and soak up every moment I can while I'm living in a place I love.