Clarity by the sea



OBX, North Carolina

 After a few solid days of sitting on the beach with my family in Duck, OBX, and enjoying watching the dolphin play and ride the waves just like our daughters have been, I'm reminded of my intense love for the coastline, no matter where it is, on earth.  The air, the greenery amidst the sandy coastline, and the feeling of clarity that comes by being so close to the ocean, is something I think I honestly need. 

It always brings me back to an amazing experience I had ....

Years ago, during the summer between high school ending and college life beginning, I was lucky enough  to travel to Australia through the Experiment in International Living as a student ambassador.  It was an experience that shaped my life, and view of the world.   I met up with a group of same aged teens from all across the country in the Los Angeles airport, and together, as strangers, we travelled to (quite honestly) the most beautiful place on earth.

There was an experience where we each got to live with a host family in Melbourne (my family was the Cronins, a wonderful family), we lived in the Outback in tents with a wagon train for our meals, lived in Sydney in a youth hostle where I got the opportunity to see Madame Butterfly at the Sydney Opera House (after a quick call home to mom and dad, asking for Western Union replenishment for the ticket money), lived on a million acre cattle ranch where we were taught to "cut cattle" on horseback, and my favorite stop of all~living on Heron Island.  The entire purpose of the trip was to get to Heron Island for the marine science experience through the Heron Island Research Station operated by the University of Queensland.  I was in heaven.

We tagged coral reef areas to record marine life feeding patterns, we went seining for creatures to add to the wet lab, went diving over the Great Barrier Reef....all on this tiny island, perpendicular from the coast of Gladstone, straight out in the sea.  It's barely on the map.  The asterisk you see is way bigger than the actual pinpoint the island is....

Not only was it beautiful by day, and totally secluded...but by night?  The sky was so pitch black you could not see your hand in front of your face.  We were in ultimate darkness, no ambient light at all.  The stars looked three-dimensional and appeared to be reachable, all around you, as if you were standing in the middle of a laser show.  Not far off, or "way up there"....you felt that you were a part of the stars.  It was a connection to the earth I had only experienced when diving deep down in the ocean, sitting on the bottom of the sea. 


I was part of the earth, not just as an observer. 

All of us need to try to find a place that will offer us that experience, there's magic in it, and it is something that has stayed with me almost 20 years later (wow, I really had to think about that...it's been 20 years?). 

I would love to find my way back with my husband and children one day (there is a tiny resort on the island), but until then (when I win the lottery) I will soak up the sun and dig my feet into the sand where I'm sitting in Duck, OBX...because isn't that always the most beautiful place on earth? 

The place where you are, right now.

Have an amazing day!

{Jenn}

p.s~if the Cronin Family, of Camberwell/Melbourne, ever see this post, I'd love to reconnect with all of you~especially since my stay with you was "pre-internet".... {Host mom: Maureen Cronin, host sister: Jennifer, host brother: Andrew, can't remember host dads name, sorry!!  You were all wonderful to me}