My Beach Finds

 

I was de-cluttering some of my drawers when I found a small Gerber jar of shells I collected from a beach trip I made a long time ago. I held a tiny piece in my hand, trying hard to remember when or where I found this cluster of dusty brown-colored whorls. Soon after I unearthed some dried sand dollars, taking note of their smooth, chalky surfaces and then remembering the live ones I picked up from an island tour in Palawan more than 2 years ago.

There are other treasures stored somewhere in the house: a medium-sized starfish, bought from a souvenir shop somewhere in Cebu in ‘04. It used to be deep blue, I remember now, because I tried to take a live one home to dry but it gave off such a horrific smell that took weeks to go away. I also have handfuls of sand, of varying shades and textures, stored in glass bottles, some of which are still unlabeled even though years after the trip I can still remember the names of places where I spent the holiday.

Memories of frolicking among the waves or the colorful sight of marine life spring up as I hold my shells, pebbles, and bits of corals or driftwood that had been added to my still growing collection.

Nasugbu…Ilocos Sur…Cebu…Camiguin…Bataan…Pagudpod…Bangui…Boracay…Palawan…and decades earlier, even Redondo Beach (CA), Ocean City (MD), Panama Beach (FL) and some beach in Sabah, Indonesia whose name I can no longer remember --- a city-born/urban-dweller like myself should be so fortunate to have these places to visit and unwind.

The exhilaration of looking out into the still horizon slicing the colorful sky and restless sea, and thinking of what lies ahead, is that single common thread that pulls these places together.

I took a smooth, round pebble from a still unsorted lot in a plastic bag,  and at this instance I recall the ones embedded with fossils that were inadvertently given away to a friend. I sighed, wondering if I can find some more of these fossil pieces if and when I decide to go back to Tagudin. In the same way, I think of numerous trips to other places I have yet to see.