The Place You Thought You Knew

You’ve been there before. Plenty of times, in fact. You’ve 'seen it’ you tell yourself, in the moment between placing your phone down and pulling up your boots.

In that ‘seeing it’ is the feeling it; you know how it feels to be there, and you can bring up those sensations without even having to go. 

There you are, travelling in your mind amongst memories of feelings. And you think another time - this time - will be the same.

Your laces stay untied.

Maybe you entertain some of the ways in which it could be different today. Those literal obvious ways; the weather, the time of day. I’ve seen it on a sunny day. I’ve seen it on a cloudy day. Actually, I’ve seen it in all the ways. 

But how are you different today - what could you be bringing to the place you supposedly ‘know so well’ this time around?

And are you sure you know what colour the water will be during the hour you arrive, and the distance you’ll need to walk to reach the tide?

Far enough to confirm your love of the sea, it turns out, and just how much you’ve missed it.

I’m thinking of all those places that get left waiting for our return, simply because we believe that today will be the same. These are places we enjoy, but so often we overlook the small details that are big enough to create a change.

The deep blue shell tucked into the marbled floor. The curve of the river, which isn’t a river at all, directing me to where I’m going. A longer walk than usual to the start of the sea, my eager steps increasing in speed.

And the mix of a sigh and a laugh, a release for how long it’s been. The words themselves tumbling out of my mouth and into the water as I reach it, ‘Seriously, why has it been so long?!’ the lengthy gap brought to life in the fact that here I am, speaking to the sea.

My feet get wet and I feel that yes, this space is different from last time. And the photos I’m taking mirror that back to me. Photography and nature joining together once again to keep my eyes open.