Wednesday 20th November 2013
I managed to get down to some serious writing yesterday before meeting a friend on the beach for a two- year catch-up.
Ships on the Barbados coast
What amazed me was that as I walked onto the beach one of the women who helps to keep the beach clean hailed me ‘Hey Predencia, how you doing?’ like she’d only seen me yesterday.
I went over, held one of her hands in both of mine and said I was honoured that she remembered me.
‘Why wouldn’t I?’ she replied surprised.
I didn’t answer that it was because I’d forgotten hers. ‘It’s been two years,’ I said instead.
‘I know,’ she replied and I felt humbled again.
Later I reflected on why my memory had been so much worse than hers. I came to the conclusion that her life had continued pretty much the same since I left, but mine had been a constant blur of new experiences.
There was a sense of calmness about her, of knowing that tomorrow was going to be the same as today, as it was yesterday.
After talking to my friend, who has also lived a life full of almost daily connection with the beach, and who displayed the same sense of calmness, I wondered if my rushing about was achieving anything.
Barbadian sunset
They watch the people come and go, just like the ships that pull in, stay for a while and leave. But they have the beauty of these sunsets every day.
Writing Creatively With Spirit 