Dream Sea

Ahangama, Sri Lanka

This weekend, on our first trip to the beach since our nearly four month curfew ended here in Colombo, I sat by the beach with the kids. One of them was upset or unsettled, maybe both. I pulled them close and whispered, “Just watch. You can even close your eyes and listen. Imagine that each wave that crashes on the shore rhythmically begins to wash away your worries and frustrations.” Sam may have been the one to roll his eyes first, he’s almost a teen now and loves to laugh at my relationship with nature, even if he feels it just the same, but isn’t ready to admit it yet. We sat and watched and listened and even though I’ll never know if it made a difference for them this weekend as they process their emotions surrounding the state of our world or the fact that they are mourning our cancelled summer trip home to the Pacific Northwest, I believe giving them this gift will come in handy some day. I grew up next to the sea and have been called back again and again around the world for the same affordable, yet very effective therapy that was presented to me when I was just a girl.

These photographs are from our trip to Ahangama in the Southern Province earlier in the year. And we thought we needed it then.