Monthly Archives: July 2010

We all have them; the ingredients that make up our soul. The core of who we are and how we function. I believe the Trinidadians call it ‘how we move’. There are things that we do inherently. Our sixth sense. We don’t know how we know them, we just do. They are not necessarily formally learned but more passed down or ingrained in us from where we come from.

So you are wondering what brought this up? Well, if you were with me at the beach on Sunday you might be starting to form an idea.

The day was hot, sunny and humid. Not a cloud in the sky but the forecasters did mention an afternoon storm. Assuming they were wrong, we ventured down to the beach around 3:00. We finally arrived, got situated, ate a delicious lunch and then suddenly everything shifted. The clouds began to roll in, the breeze picked up and there was a subtle change in… well, in everything.

I stood up. Took a look around. Felt that subtle charge in the atmosphere. Checked the horizon and promptly announced it was time to go. Skeptical, Gary told me I was the only one getting up and making a move. But that did not discourage me. Because, my friends, I was born here. Just miles from my childhood home, even closer to the house my grandparents owned, these were the beaches of my childhood. And like my mother and my grandmother before me, I can just TELL the difference between passing clouds, a sprinkle and a downright impending storm.

Almost down to the minute.

I announced that within 10-20 minutes we would be caught in a downpour and I guess I said it with enough authority that the dozen or so people we were with stood up, packed up and hit the road.

And at the 15 minute mark it started to rain. By the time we arrived home there were trees down and electricity was out in places.

So how did I know? Luck? Sometimes. But mostly it is the same way the animals know. They get a feeling. Their habitat shifts and they have honed the sensitivity to it. The air smells different. The breeze has that unpredictable way about it.

I like to think of it as simply one of the main ingredients of my soul. The one that makes me pretty sure I can never live too far from an ocean and ever feel truly at home.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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