The Water Is Calling & I Must Go

You’re not a true water baby if you’ve never felt compelled by the water.

For weeks on my way home I’ve been trying my hardest to resist the urge to veer off course and head straight for the beach. Well tonight, that’s exactly what I did.

I had to satisfy my water craving. Not a craving like “oh I need to drink some water” like a “I have to go be in the water NOW and this time the bathtub just won’t do”. Besides, everyone’s already asleep anyways and to be honest, I’m not even sure I’ll be able to get in the house tonight. I didn’t tell them I was coming and I usually come back after I wake up on Fridays sometimes, so I might be locked out. But it’s okay; if I am, I’ll just come back and sleep on the beach.

So why am I typing and not just enjoying the beach, you ask? Well I got here, took the required snapchats to prove I was here (extra important tonight because my phone is pretty much dead and I’m all alone and my parents need to know where the last place I was if I go missing), then I put the phone away and just enjoyed the utter perfectness of the night. It was raining all day, so there are no stars out, and it’s a bit chilly from the wind, but it is still perfect. Any night at the beach is perfect.

So anyways, I was just taking it all in and enjoying my beach night when it occurred to me that I should write a post about it. And when the inspiration is there, it’s there. So I made the huge trek back up to my car to grab my laptop and here I am, typing to you. But have no fear, I don’t need to look when I type so I am still enjoying this beautiful view. In fact, I just saw an ambulance headed westbound over the bridge followed by a police car. It must happen quite often I would imagine, but it’s the first time in my life I’ve seen an ambulance cross the bridge, lights on.

Yes. It is November. Yes, I did go in the water. Yes, I am in Maryland. The current air temperature is 66 degrees Farinheight (oops spell check is off because no internet) and it’s 10:52pm. The water temperature does feel a bit chilly though, but you get used to it. I did go swimming on this same beach last Christmas day, after all. Maybe this part of the bay just doesn’t get super cold. Even the wind didn’t seem cold while I was wading in the bay, but now that I’m just sitting on the sand, I’m shivering.

It’s really dark because the moon is nowhere to be found and the clouds are coving the stars. There are trees blocking the beach from the grass and roads, keeping the lights practically nonexistent, which is great because I’m not here for the bright lights. It’s really cool seeing the lights on the Bay Bridge at night, and the towers across the bay remind me there is civilization. The Annapolis side is surprisingly dark though, with only minimal lights to the south of the flashing towers. The great orange glow from the city keeps me warm like the sun as the wind picks up. It also is the majority of the things allowing me to see.

I could sit here and watch the cars cross the bridge forever, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the past hour. With my feet in the water, the wind on my face, and the view of the bridge in plain sight, there’s no place I’d rather be. When I was younger, my dreams ALWAYS consisted of me miraculously crossing the bridge at night. Mostly by monkey bars under the bride. Sometimes other methods, just as insane (although if you ask me I’ll straight-faced tell you there ARE monkey bars under the bridge. I’ve been under many times via cruise ships, so you think I would know there isn’t, but I’m convinced). Then I’d always drop off at the end, either swimming in the bay on the western side or jumping on a cruise on the eastern side. I think those dreams making up pretty much every night of my childhood makes watching the bridge at night in real life that much greater.

Ya know, when I hadn’t been on a cruise in a while and I would get sick I would tell everyone I was land sick, that it had been too long since I was on a cruise. While I definitely was land sick (can’t keep a mermaid from her sea), I’m not so sure it was the cruises. Maybe I just needed to find my way back to the water.

After all the sea (or bay, or river, or lake, pretty much any water, but mostly oceans and seas and bays, ya know, stuff with salt) helps me get back to me.

Well I think I’m gonna enjoy this beach time a bit more then head on outta here before I catch hypothermia (prob shouldn’t be swimming in the Chesapeake Bay in November, but hey, what can ya do?), so I’ll catch ya on the flip side. Happy swimming ya’ll.

swimming with the dog
at Matapeake on
Christmas 

Until next time,

Xoxo,

Tasha