Walking In Wet Sand

Have you noticed that when walking the shoreline,
navigating the wet sand along the water’s edge,
How it can be a metaphor for walking thru life?

The sand feels nice on your feet,
as the roughness of the grains, smooth the rough patches.
Some places are older, time-worn,
the sand is packed tighter, and your footing is solid,
you may even be able to run with ease,
leaving a perfect footprint behind.

Then you will come across places that are newly wet,
they have just met the sea.
This is where your stride slows, as you walk slowly,
deeply even.
There is a suction to this sand, and what’s left behind you are
more like holes,
that fill with water almost as soon as your foot leaves the ground.
You must be more deliberate walking here,
choosing your footing carefully, there is no running,
just slow, deep, careful steps.

The water may even rush up and try to knock you off-balance,
so you plant your feet,
and sometimes even stop walking for a time.
At which point your feet are buried to ankle,
and it takes strength and balance to continue on your way.

Did you notice that as you look back,
any sign you walked there has been washed away?
That perfect footprint has vanished.
So have the big holes you left behind.
Filled in, smooth and wet, and ready for someone else
to leave their mark.
There is no sign of any struggle, of your loss of balance.
It is forgotten, it doesn’t exist.

And if you look ahead, just more smooth sand in which to leave
your prints.
Will you walk in the older hard packed sand?
maybe even follow in the footprints of others?
Or will you venture closer to the edge,
to the very new, very wet sand?
knowing any misstep is forgotten, washed away.

There are no prints to follow there,
just a clean slate, a fresh stretch of beach.
And you move forward, one foot at a time…