Refreshed

 I have been feeling somewhat blah - best description I can come up with it.  Not depressed, I go through  the motions of yoga, spanish, art, seeing friends, walking, reading - but just blah. 

Yesterday dawned no different, but sometime during the morning when pondering on which walk to take I decided to get in the car and drive to the Bay Trail - Pt. Isabel.   In recent months it has been unusually windy along the trail. A strong wind blows in from the bay whipping my hair all around and causing havoc to my eyes. To such an extent that it is downright unpleasant and I wear a 'covid' shield to protect my eyes, but the shield by now is cloudy so I don't really look anywhere but down on my feet.

Yesterday proved to be a Goldilocks day - a gentle breeze, fresh smelling clean (green light) air, not too hot, not too cold, conditions were just right.  I even found a parking space in the Rydin Street lot. I preceded down the trail along the shorefront.  The egrets stood sentinel in the marshes.  Just occasional hikers, hardly any bikers.  The tide was out, the mudflats displaying the reason for their name.  Shorebirds pecked around the edges and downtown Oakland and the Bay Bridge stood silhouetted against the sun - a lovely frame for the bay.  The sun glinted, sparkled, twinkled, reflected, mirrored, on the furrowed waves - lighting one, then another, as the water of the bay undulated. An occasional pelican flew and swooped, an egret raised its magnificent span and flew just over the lagoon.  The reeds and the grasses rustled drily.  Indeed all is dry - even the air. 

Further along as the path curves around the houses of the Marina Bay I saw the Golden Gate Bridge stretching from San Francisco to the gentle slopes of the Marin Headlands.  Mt. Tam lounging in the sun. A gentle lap of water breaking along the shore, a few sailboats, just one windsurfer, and the path turns again to the Richmond Marina.  

A picture perfect, gentle day.  The pause that refreshes.  

Thanks to the beauty which surrounds us.