Vitamin Sea

Brighton Beach

The beach is my happy place. If I close my eyes, breathe deeply and tune into the sound of the waves, I’m instantly taken back to my childhood and the smell of salty air, hot chips, ice cream, sun tan lotion, the squishy feeling of the sand between my toes and the sun on my face. I am instantly calm and happy.

The sea brings back fabulous memories of past times spent with my family and lifelong friends, eating crayfish, crabs, squid, and whiting, some of which we caught at the local jetty. We’d spend hours and hours just laughing and being silly bleaching our hair with lemon juice and trying desperately to get a tan.

You see, I grew up spending my time as a child swimming, canoeing and running along the white, sandy beaches in both Adelaide and York Peninsula. My family had a holiday home that we’d visit as often as we could, a place that overlooked the sea with a view that went on and on forever. We’d watch the storms roll in, and the sun rise and set. This was the place we spent Easter, long weekends and Christmas holidays relaxing, shopping and swimming.

My sister and I would hunt for sea shells after the storms. We’d swim, snorkel and row our canoe up and down the bay where we lived with our family friends. We’d walk everywhere to buy ice cream from the local deli. I thought we lived in paradise.

I live about 15 minutes from the beach now. I walk as often as I can. I still have the jar full of pretty shells I collected. l often look at those shells and when I do, they make me smile. I urge you to find your happy place if you can. Take a walk in nature, meditate, breathe, and spend time with loved ones. Go get some vitamin sea.