How Low Can Tides Go, Anyway?

February 2023

It was remarkably foggy on the coast this morning. There were times during my beach walk when visibility was so limited that my balance and bearings became questionable. It was creepy and slightly uncomfortable, but in the same giggle-inducing way a suddenly descending express elevator feels.

I almost always walk straight down to the surf and then north up the beach until I feel like it’s time to turn around. I knew it was low tide and expected that I might have to put a few steps behind me before I reached the ocean. My visits regularly coincide with the receding water. Both beauty and resilience are often best observed when tides are at their lowest.

After walking for what felt like 100 yards but was probably barely 50, I stopped and took a 360-degree assessment of where I was standing and saw literally nothing but grey. To what extent can you know where you’re going, when you’re not sure where you are?

Luckily, even though I couldn’t see the ocean I could certainly hear it, and so I continued in the general direction of its beckoning. It was one of those receding tides that leaves small bays and miniature pools behind it. They are pleasant impediments but obstacles nonetheless, that kept forcing me northbound.

I continued walking and zigzagging toward the sea for some time when, either due to a low stamina day or lack of visibility-induced weariness, I felt like I was ready to turn around. It was the first time that I had taken a beach walk and not seen the ocean, which did not go unnoticed.

I slowly started making my way back to the car, looking for beach treasures and taking photos of sand patterns and pools along the route. I arrived home with a few rocks in my pocket, several photos, and another less tangible takeaway from the experience.

There are and always will be times in life when goals aren’t realized, or when I don’t even glimpse the things upon which my heart has been set. But if those same eyes and that same heart remain open, there’s always something before them equally worthy of time and attention.