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Back to the Beach

Updated: May 6


I’ve been putting it off for a couple months, but it’s been too long. Now I’m better.


Here in central Florida, I’m an hour away from the east coast (Atlantic Ocean), so I don’t have a good excuse not to go. Whenever I do, I always think I’m going to stay for an hour, get my fill of sun and waves, then head back. Back to the beach.


back to the beach

It never works out that way. I get there early, then four hours later I’m still there.


I usually run four miles barefoot on the beach, which is like running six miles on grass or pavement in shoes. There’s a fine line I must be aware of when blisters develop on the bottom of my feet. It always happens, but if I end the run at the right time, the blisters are harmless, almost like calluses.




That’s just the beginning. I always start with the run, that way I’m worn out and loosened up to enjoy the aimless walking even more. I never bring a towel or set up and stay in one place when I’m by myself. It’s too much fun to roam. Every five minutes I spot something else that I want to zone out on: birds, plants, fish, crabs, airplanes, kiteboarders.


The longer I wander the beach the more fun I have and the more I wonder why I don’t come more often. That’s how I end up with a four-hour stay and an entire day gone by the time I stop for gas, shop, and eventually get back home.


canaveral seashore

I practice a casual form of meditation, which means I don’t hold the classic pose, chant, or do anything that would lead you to believe I’m meditating. But I do - mainly to quiet the mind - and it works for me. I don’t spend much time on it.


At the beach, however, I enter the twilight zone of mediation. I can sit comfortably in soft sand wherever I am, and the crashing waves are the perfect soundtrack to blocking out distractions. I can close my eyes or open them and either way I’m at peace. Ten minutes later and I’m a new man: at peace in mind and body.


back to the beach

This past week I visited Canaveral National Seashore, which is as close as you can get to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Station. I first made the mistake of using my GPS and heading for Titusville Beach, which is within the confines of NASA property. Wrong move.


I came to the end of the NASA Parkway and abruptly came to a halt at the gatehouse. The military personnel were ready for me and turned me around as quickly as my car could turn. They gave me a nice police escort back out a mile before setting me free again.


I have the feeling they are still running a complete background check on me.


Okay, I say to myself. I guess I was a little too far south. Let’s head north.


And so I did, hence my visit to Canaveral National Seashore. It took a while, and you drive a long time to get there, but it’s beautiful the entire way and worth the trip. 80 degrees and sunny in January.



I finally make it and begin my journey to peace. I found it. And I’m better for it. Now I can sit in front of a computer all week again.


Life is good.

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© 2025 Bob Deakin

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