It is chilly, the rain is starting, and the
wind at my back sends streams of loose sand skittering around me as I walk. I
cut across to the water and stand, taking in the grey skies, the powerful surf
relentless on the sand in front of me. Here is the moment my whole morning has
been building up to. On the bus I considered whether my determination would
trump today’s weather. But now I’m here, I know there’s no point if I don’t go
ahead. I squat down and take off one shoe and sock, then the other, and roll up
my jeans. The wet, dark sand feels amazing between my toes. The first breaker
hits my feet and I feel washed with energy. It is not the biting cold I was
bracing myself for. I feel all the tension in my body pour out and I let out a
huge involuntary sigh of relief. It has been several months since my last bare‑foot
encounter with the ocean. I have so missed this feeling.
In Dar es Salaam we lived
less than 20 minutes from the Indian Ocean but rarely went, until a
photographer friend of ours offered to do a photo shoot with us at the beach.
We had to be there early to get the best light, and we had the whole beach to
ourselves before the sun got really hot. We enjoyed it so much that we decided
to build regular visits into our schedule. From then on, we would get up early
one morning each week and spend 20 minutes walking along the beach. We
prioritized it because we all felt great when we went. At the time, we were
living in a very electrically harmful environment, and I was suffering from a
lot of weakness in my legs. But after dipping my toes in the ocean I would feel
strong, and even be able to run down the beach, when the day before I’d had
difficulty standing! I noticed that on days when I didn’t dip my feet in, I
didn’t get that benefit, even if I walked bare-foot on the sand. At the time I
assumed it must be the minerals in the water which my body was so in need of.
Recently though I read that the ocean is a great way to ‘ground’ yourself, and
I realised that this is probably why I feel so great each time I get my toes in
the water. It’s literally resetting my body back to the earth’s natural
electro-magnetic field.
Tanzanian Beach
For several minutes, cold breakers wash over my feet and I enjoy the sensation of being pulled into this powerful drama between ocean and land. Soon though the drumming of the rain on my hood breaks into my thoughts, and I know it’s time to leave. I stuff my wet, sandy feet back into my socks and shoes, and plough through the thickening rain to my bus stop, a smile spreading across my face.
