Life | I left my heart by the sea

It's safe to say that I love the sea. I've mentioned it time and again, to the extent that you've probably wondered if I'm on a coastal management board on the side. Well no I'm not, although that does sound nice. I've shot posts by the seaside, I've watched it while dining under the stars and even been inspired by it when all I could see were waves from afar.
 
A video gif image of ripples and waves flowing in the sea with sand below and sunshine above
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Although I now make a mandatory trip (or two) to the sun-kissed beaches when I'm back home, I didn't always feel the same way. Owing to a few wave-washed tumbles during my toddler years, I've been told that I refused to even step inside the water! With such contradictory feelings being experienced over the years, I've always tried to pin-point where my sentiments changed so drastically and how the adoration washed (hah!) over me but, to no avail. All I know is that it happened like Hazel Grace and Gus' sappy romance; slowly and then all at once.

An image of a woman standing on the shoreline of the beach in the sand as the waves of the sea touch her feet

I don't believe that questioning its origin will help me find answers. I mean, we've all had absolutely irrational crushes or weird clothing stains that appear without prior notice. Some questions have no answers so all you have to do is accept their occurrence. Same with my sea struck affair. Like a whirlwind romance, I didn't know where it began and why, all I knew was that I had to savour every second of it.

And so it began. Picnics on the sand, straight out of an Enid Blyton novel. Soaking up the waves, even before eating breakfast. Midnight walks on the seashore with the only audible sound being the waves crashing against the rocks. A large chunk of both, my camera roll and long term memory have been formed there.

An image of waves in motion hitting the rocks in the sea surrounded by trees and sand at the beach

 Photography: Raynor Pereira / Style File

But it isn't just a few pleasant memories that carved the sea into my being - it was also what I learnt from it. I learnt that salt water, be it tears or crashing waves, heals all wounds. Just like a glimmer of sunshine and calm water after a night of rocky waves, I learnt that a new day always brings new hope. I also cannot deny the fact that no beauty product has ever been able to give me the beachy waves that a morning soak in the sea can. A happy place is a wonderful thing. Some find it in a designer store, others in a corner office. Mine is on a sand bank, with the approaching waves caressing my toes.

xo
Dayle

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