I open my eyes and see the open blue sky, with clouds lazily drifting high above my head.
I hear the roaring waves crashing by my feet, reaching for nothing so violently only to reluctantly retreat, only to come back again.
I inhale the sweet, salty brine of the sea, tasting the history of something that has always been and will be for many lifetimes.
The sand beneath me is soft and warm, heated by the blazing afternoon sun and beaten to grains by the relentless waves.
The cool breeze blows the smoky ash of a nearby bonfire to my senses, showering me with husky scents.
Like a moth drawn to light, I slowly approach the waves that are crashing against the shore, as if in greeting.
I let the water lap against my feet, chilling them but also bringing a strange sense of pleasure.
As the sun slinks below the horizon, it paints the sky with hues of pink and orange.
I wade in the water to my waist, letting the soothing ebb and flow of the now gentle waves calm me to the point of meditation.
Only a sliver of golden sunlight is left now. I must leave, for the ocean belongs to the creatures that inhabit it, and I am not of them.
The tug of the ocean now feels more desperate, pulling me back out towards its great depths.
As I step on to the soggy sand, I am left with a cold and hollow feeling that something is missing.
I feel as though the ocean has taken something from my heart that cannot be replaced, nor filled.
As the sun disappears behind the dark and vast horizon, so does my heart, which has only known the immense mystery of the ocean for so little time and yet fallen so deeply in love.