“Earthing”, Windy Beach Love & Moments of “Ahhhhhh”
Our summer in Oregon is really all about being beach-bums, paws and all. I can never get enough of the beach. From grey, moody days of angry waves and rolling fog to brilliant sun-drenched wonders which take your breath away. No matter what I might have been thinking before I go, or how anxious I might feel, or whatever worries were on my mind, once I dig my barefoot toes into that soft, cool sand my mind clears and I “zen” with nature. It happens the very moment I top the dunes and miles of deserted coast dramatically open before me. No matter what the weather I will stand there awed and swept away by nature’s glory. Suddenly I feel the rhythm of waves in my soul, my body relaxes in the most pleasing way and my inner mind says “ahhhhhhh”. I call it beach-meditation….nature’s free therapy if you will.
Interestingly enough there’s actually a bit of science around this phenomenon. The physical act of “grounding” or “earthing” (i.e. putting your bare feet in the ground) is thought to lower cortisol levels, improve immune function and reduce inflammation. So, that feeling of “ahhhhhhh” really does have something to it. I certainly know that whenever I ditch the shoes and feel the ground I get a whole lot more in return. Don’t you?
But this year, in particular, has also been windy. Whoo wheeee! Locals tell me this is one of the windiest summers they remember and it certainly “blows away” our experience from last year (hehe…I’m such a card sometimes). Doggie goes banana-crazy for the beach in any kind of weather, but for the humans in our pack some of our coastal walks have come with free wind transportation and exfoliating facial scrubs. Can you say smooth as a sand-whipped bottom?
I don’t mind though, honestly I don’t. I LOVE the cooler weather, the crazy moods and….yes….even the nutty wind. By the end of this summer odyssey I should have monk-like serenity combined with rather glorious skin-tone. And all of it for FREE too. Quite the deal and definitely a moment of “ahhhhhhh”.
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Glad you are finding the beach so peacefully, relaxing:) This is how I feel about the rocks and mountains…totally lowers my blood pressure. Nature sure is amazing!
I feel the same way in the high mountains too. There’s something about open expanses of nature that calm my soul.
NIna
Love the “meditations in sand” photos. I’ve always said “No matter the weather… it’s always nice at the beach! In fact DW and I are headed to Long Beach,WA tomorrow for a quick day at the beach
Cool! Enjoy your time at Long Beach. I’m thinking you might even snag some sun while you’re there. It’s been an incredibly sunny July on the coast.
Nina
You have such a great way of “putting it into words”, the feeling of grounding with the earth, I actually love going to the beach when the weather is not as people describe as ideal. It keeps most people away and you get to experience Mother Nature at her best. It soothes my soul.
Totally agree. It’s one of the (many) reasons I love the OR coast. The weather is *just* poor enough to scare away the hoards of sunbathers, but *just* good enough for true nature-lovers like ourselves. It’s soooooo much more relaxing than the southern beach towns.
Nina
Your depiction of the effect of the waves is very familiar–you put it beautifully! We’re coming up the Oregon coast & hope to find you in Bandon next week. Great stuff!
Oh excellent! Looking forward to seeing ya! This next week (Sun-Thurs) we’re on PM shift at the lighthouse (2PM-5PM) in case you decide to take a tour.
Nina
Nina, a lovely post. I certainly can identify with your descriptions of the feelings, moods and overall peace that sitting by or strolling on a beach gives you. Being out in nature is a levelizer for me; it clears the mind and fills the soul.
Beautifully said!
Nina
I also loved the “meditations in sand” photos, along with the others, of course. The facial scrubs, not so much. But walking in bare tootsies on the sand made the pain left over from a shattered ankle go away. Can’t ask for much more than that!
I’ve also seen healing improvements in ankles/knees by walking barefoot. A few months ago I managed to twist my ankle somewhat…as well as taking it easy I did a ton of “earthing”. Definitely feel like it helped.
Nina
Do you worry about what the salt and humidity may be doing to your rig? I have been on the Gulf Coast for a large part of my fulltiming journey and wonder what is rusting away under my coach.
I guess it’s just one of the risks we assume by staying by the beach for the summer. We do rinse our rig whenever we can (to get the salt off) and try to keep her well-waxed. Our site is set-back around 1.5 miles from the beach, but we still do get some salty moisture. I have no doubt the coastal weather will affect us more than (say) winter in the desert, but it’s part of the lifestyle we choose. If I worried too much about the effect all the weather we encounter would have on our rig we probably wouldn’t go anywhere 🙂
Nina
Bringing back many memories! I lived in Bandon on Two Mile Road. Learned from the school of hard knocks to head into the wind when I went for my daily run (don’t let them fool you, it’s ALWAYS windy by the beach in Bandon!) going and have the wind at my back for the return. It is beautiful, but windy!
The wind-in-your-face when you start is definitely a good tip!!! We do the same when we’re out walking doggie on the beach. Always start facing the wind so that when you turn around you just get “carried” home.
Nina
I like my sea’s angry and moody 🙂
Great photos.
Box Canyon Mark
Moody is my favorite mood too 🙂
Nina
Ohhhh, you’re making us homesick…
Sue
We miss you guys too!! Nina
This is exactly what the two of us could use right about now. Your photos are fabulous as always Nina. I cannot imagine walking on the beach with it being windier than it was the first day you, Polly, Terry, and I took a stroll.
It’s been pretty much that windy ALL THE TIME this year. Still pretty, but rather crazy. So wish you were here!
Nina
Wish we were there too. We are in spirit. 🙂
Thank you for your beautiful description the Oregon Coast that I so love.