Dear Beach, Apologies for not visiting you this bummer of a summer, but you probably enjoyed the solitude. Just you and some polite dog walkers and the usual crowd of pelicans, dolphins, and ghost crabs. Oh, yeah, and that eight-foot alligator—that must have been a surprise drop-in. But no blaring radios, loud crowds, or left-behind trash. You’ve been a constant in my life, from skinny dipping book club nights to moon-viewing to scattering the ashes of a beloved dog. There were Sunday afternoon Bloody Marys in a thermos and the New York Times, long walks with friends, and the time I was recovering from surgery and trekked down on my lunch hour every day to sit in the sun and simply heal. Most of all, I miss lying on your soft shoulder with my eyes closed and the heart rhythm of the surf filling every part of my brain with only now, only now, only now. XOXO Nikki
