How To Own A Beach

Reading Time: 1.5 minutes

In 2020, Marina had a year she would never forget. When the pandemic hit, the schools were closed and the kids were driving her mad at home. Then, her husband lost his job. On the good side, real estate was booming in Nashville. There had to be something positive. Surely.

Jimmy, the agency boss, who was addicted to clichés, told all the staff: “Work hard. Good and bad times don’t last. Focus on the fundamentals. Sell the sizzle, not the steak.” Marina took that advice on board.

By summer 2021, Marina knew it was time for a break or she would break. She called it “Florida time.” With her husband and the kids, she rented a condo on North Ocean Drive in Palm Beach Shores and settled down for two weeks of … stopping. She was certain the beach would work its magic. She was right, in a way.

When they all got down to the sand, her eldest boy, Elijah, said, “Mom, can we buy this beach?” Everyone laughed. Marina said, “I wish I could.”

Two days later, she got some time alone. She arranged a foldup chair and umbrella, and then she … stopped. She closed her eyes. The waves hissed and rumbled in the distance. A seagull squawked. Marina tasted the salty tang of the ocean air as she lay in that healing blurred border between sleep and wakefulness. Pure heaven.

But, her mind did not stop … not completely. She was always alert; ready for whatever came next. She smiled when she remembered what Elijah had said. In a way, she had bought the beach … at least temporarily. A tiny part of it. These few precious moments of delicious peace now washed over her. She owned that feeling. It was hers. And, hers alone.

Unfortunately, an irritating and recurring thought came to her. If she had bought this feeling, who had sold it to her? She opened her eyes to the dazzling beach.

The answer came with the next wave. It was simple. She had sold it to herself.