Dancing In The Down East Mud

Under a brilliant sky of blue, at the end of a rocky peninsula, way Down East on the coast of Maine, I slowly began to sink into the mud of Pigeon Hill Bay. My boots slid further and further down, until my knees were about to become part of the soft and muddy beach that I currently occupied. I quickly pulled my feet up from the slimy sandbar and gingerly stepped to the right, then to the left, and then forward, as to avoid staying in one spot for any prolonged amount of time. I had found out what happens when you do that. You literally begin to become one with Pigeon Hill Bay, and the way the mud was acting this afternoon, I could conceivably submerge myself fully if I had such the desire. The funny part about it though, was how much I was enjoying this muddy dance. The wind was whipping all around me, cold and constant for this time of year. Puffy white clouds raced across a blue sky that seemed to stretch forever above me. The frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean lapped at my feet, but surged strong and steady in the distance. Whitecaps were everywhere, and the wind rippled across the bay's surface. Here I was, alone on a remote beach in the lovely town of Steuben, dancing left and right, to and fro, all to avoid the glorious mud of early spring. Let me tell you, it was quite the experience. I felt as if I was the only person in the world; a world of towering pines and blue water. I was truly and deeply immersed in the coast of Maine, and it is these moments of immersion that I live for! I gladly give in to the wondrous forces of nature when they are all around me, attacking my senses from every angle. I live for the awesome beauty of this coast, this rough and rocky place that surprises, educates and inspires me all at once. And I most certainly appreciate all that this natural world has to offer. It is an offering that should be accepted and it is an offering that must be cherished. To stand all alone on the edge of this coast is to stand alone at the edge of the natural world. There are no cars here, no fast food joints, no obnoxious and loud noises that seem to constantly creep up on our respective environments. All I saw in my vision was the blue of the sky and the blue of the water. I saw the green of the pines and the white of the shells at my feet. The mud smelled like the sea, and the air was so clear, I felt as if my lungs would explode in ecstasy. My heart raced with joy and my body was lifted by a spirit in my soul, a spirit that devoured all that surrounded me with a deep sense of longing and love. I was deep in the mud on a sandy beach, way Down East on the coast of Maine. I was free. I was at ease. I was home.