Fripp Island, South Carolina

The best way to experience a place is just to be there.  

We got to Fripp Island late on Sunday night, so we weren’t able to see the beauty of the island in its fullest.  We just saw a bunch of deer out snacking!  

When the morning came, I knew I wanted to go to the beach immediately.  I wanted to see what it had in store, and I also do 1000x better in the heat when it’s still the coolest part of the day 😉  The peace is unparalleled!

On the way down to the beach, Matt & I saw several pelicans, which I was ECSTATIC about!  Where we live in Ohio there are some seagulls, but when you see pelicans you know you’re at a real beach.  😉

Other marvels discovered along the shore were translucent fish that burrow with lightning speed into the sand.  I almost thought I didn’t see it happen!  There were also birds that have legs that moved so rapidly they practically looked like they were gliding along the sand.

Walking along the ocean, there’s no record of your feet ever having been there.  I thought of the footprints poem and how it was sweet, but if you and Jesus were walking close enough to the ocean there would be no footprints.  The past brought you this far, but the footsteps no longer matter.  All that matters is that you made it to that point.

As an avid shell collector, I love that you can walk up and down the shoreline and find new wildlife and new shells every time. The tide is always bringing in new things [insert life lesson here; I’m sure you can put the pieces together!].  

The ocean in mythology and ancient cultures was a symbol of mystery and death.  While I still think it’s mysterious, there’s so much evidence that it’s a lively and playful place.  Today as I was walking along the shore, I observed the foam.  I tried to walk around most of it, but one wave kissed my feet and left frothy foam tickling my foot.  Sand dollars, starfish, and little crabs spotted the shoreline, just going about their days.  Don’t get me wrong; the ocean is still terrifying, but there are so many lovely little things in there.

On my walk back to the house, I was hit with an almost sickeningly sweet scent.  I walked over to a flower bush and breathed in; it was like smelling nature’s candy.  Plus the flowers were a beautiful pink hue!

 

 

I’m so looking forward to what the rest of the week brings 🙂