TIME OUT

Written 1/23/10

The big gray and white gambrel, nobly guarding the mouth of the cove where it enters Onset Bay, rises in sun dappled majesty on the grassy knoll. Its quiet splendor is in sharp contrast to the demanding squawks from the small  gull on the pavement next to my car. I wish I had some food to quiet his hunger. The dock  is barren; it’s pilings rising from the water untethered. Mounds of sea grass glimmer golden on the sun drenched sand. The path of sunlight on the barely moving water is almost blinding as it shimmers and ripples.

A lone sail boat is moored in the cove as if guarding its entrance. Down cove, empty moorings are still, the sandy shores are vacant and distant houses sit silently on their waterfront shores. A woman walking the beach passes, crows caw, water shimmers, sea grass glimmers and my world is calm. Time slows as it passes in sync with the current flowing gently. Two crows take flight, playfully joisting over the cove as they go from one shore to the other. A swan rounds the tip of Shell Point and passes by for a leisurely swim toward the Agawam River.

What a treat, this time out in my Saturday. I’m infused with the energy of nature’s finest to spur me on through those waiting supermarket isles, but I’ll now be pushing that shopping cart with a blanket of serenity to insulate me from the bustling chores of weekending. How lucky am I?