Yesterday my husband and I spent a long time at the beach, walking and talking. We were away for the weekend celebrating our 10 year anniversary. Many things came up in our discussion...and then I paused and looked down for a moment. I realized something so very simple, but profound; our steps were different. Look, I said to him..we made different impressions. I could easily tell which footprints were his and which ones were mine. It was simple; we walk differently. It made me be more open to the discussion we were having and to appreciate our uniqueness. I also noticed that our footprints were both very deep on that section of the beach. When we were walking earlier, where the sand was dryer, our steps were not as clear. I also could tell where people had walked before, but the wind or time had gone by, so the footprints became less distinct...on the way to being forgotten. Near the dunes I saw some very tiny footprints that must have been from a mouse. I also saw some bird footprints near them. I wondered what had transpired between the bird and the mouse ..and I identified with how sometimes I feel like a mouse; treading lightly or scurrying along..
Yes, footprints..everywhere in the sand...all kinds of steps, all kinds of impressions...all kinds of relationships between those making the prints and the earth below their feet..how deep of a mark, how unique of a step...how the prints change over time. Even the tiny step of the mouse below could be perceived as deep as the human prints above. These are the types of things I notice when I am left in nature. I believe the entire world around us has messages like this to give, if only we took the time to pay close enough attention. I took several pictures of footprints and of paths in the sand. It impacted the discussion my husband and I had and provided a source of connection and reflection to our histories.
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