Sea & Sand
09th - 13th
After a very tough weekend, I was blessed with beautiful weather. Pushing myself to get outside each day helped me realise—it's not a bad life, just a hard job.
On Thursday, I spent an hour and a half kayaking along the North Devon coast. The sun was shining, and the water was glowing. It was exactly what I needed.
By Friday, I left work completely burnt out—crying, exhausted. It took everything in me to choose happiness, but I did. At midnight, I was walking down the beach with my kayak, ready to paddle away from my problems. I stopped at a small beach to rest, eat, snorkel, and sort out my gear. It was perfect. Only an hour had passed, but it made a world of difference. After a short snorkel—just a few fish this time—I decided to carry on, paddling from Lee Bay to Ilfracombe and back. On the return, I stopped again to snorkel in a spot I'd tried before, but the changing tide meant I couldn't stay long. I snorkeled for about 20 minutes, only to look back and see my kayak nearly floating away—no beach left to speak of! Still, no problem. By the time I made it back to the car, I had filled four and a half hours with peace and happiness.
Saturday looked a little different. I didn't feel like spending it out on the water, even though the conditions were practically begging me to. Instead, I walked two miles to a very quiet, local beach.
I settled down, sunbathed, and read—until I was absolutely cooking in the heat. I sank into the welcoming sea and started swimming among the creatures. Fun fact I only just learned: spider crabs shed their shells too! I knew smaller crabs did, but not them. It felt like I was swimming over a crab graveyard—absolutely terrifying.
As I swam back to shore, small fish and crawling crabs scattered around me. I got to enjoy my book, eat my sandwich and fruit, and just soak it all in.
Eventually, the heat started draining my energy, and laziness won out. With the tide out, I packed up my bag, carried it on my front, and walked through the water—across two beaches—until I reached Barricane, the best public beach in Devon. From there, it was an easy, quiet walk home.
Sunday—was just that. Another sunny day.
My partner, a friend, and I decided a beach day was exactly what we needed. We woke up early, made a run to Co-op for the essentials (mainly food), and headed back to the same beach. We parked in a small car park up the hill and made our way down to the only real relief from the sun: the sea.
It didn't take long before we jumped in. The cold water smoothed over my sun-heated skin—I've never been so grateful to feel cold. It was pure refreshment. We sat, ate, and talked while waiting for the sun to reach us. Since it was still early, it was hidden behind the hills, making the sea air even more welcome.
The day was spent drifting between the shore and the water—snorkeling, wave jumping, laughing. The only thing I would've changed? The walk back.
After crawling up steep steps, we had to climb a hill through the village, dragging ourselves to the car, now roasting in the afternoon heat. Still, I wouldn't trade it.
My headspace now feels calm. Sunshine, sea, and sleep—honestly, they heal everything.