This is Part Two of thoughts at the beach. Read Part One here.

Day 3, morning

It’s our last morning at the beach. My parents and I head home today. This is when the long ride is tiresome and I don’t want to sit in my wheelchair for hours. I wish we could tap our feet together and be home in an instant. My back and feet get tired of the confinement and stillness. But my leg muscles are usually worn out too. They’ve had a slight ache the past couple of days. I get a good workout when I go on a trip.

I fought the waves as they slapped against me many times. I’m pretty sure they grew bigger once I was standing in the surf. I also trudged through the sand with my beach shoes on and my dad providing a lot of support.

So that’s why I walk stiff and a little slower. I don’t mind. I like the reminders of where I’ve been and why I hurt. The moving ocean and the sifting sand.

I wasn’t planning on telling you about my achy muscles, but I guess that’s what I thought about when I first returned to my porch corner this morning. And I know the long ride is coming in a couple of hours. Then we leave vacation mode behind and I hope the words keep coming after we are back in the “normal” environment.

I’ve learned something about writing again. More like re-learned. I need the same lessons over and over. It’s easy to forget and think I can do writing whenever I want in a day. But so often at home I delay and put off this part of who I am. I think, “I’ll do the other tasks first. Then I can write.” That rarely works. I’m one who likes the pressure of a deadline. It can wake up my brain and provide the extra motivation I need. Except for writing. Most of the time procrastination does not help the words jump on the page. Waiting makes the process of finding any words that much harder. Because they have to be pushed to the surface. And that works best with lots of practice, a regular time for pondering and action.

This time away has reminded me how much the actual writing guides my thoughts. The words tell my brain where to go next. Sometimes I’m surprised with the memories that pop up or pieces of a story I choose to tell. The point is I need to do it every day, early in the day, before I’m distracted by other things or my brain is too sleepy to form sentences. And that is what I decided to do the past three days with the view of the ocean and a gentle breeze.