Walking in the reflective surf

In the late afternoon sun
Delray Beach, FL, December 2009

About this photo: Thematic Photographic...blah, blah..."water in any form"...blah, blah...have fun with it by going here!

I think I need to move somewhere closer to a large, preferably oceanic body of water. I live less than an hour's drive from two Great Lakes, but somehow, the lack of major waves and eye-stinging salt takes away from the epic feel of the place when you stand in that incredible spot where land gives way to water. There's a feeling you get when waves wash over your ankles that's unique to a big beach on a big ocean. My life doesn't fit this now, but I hope someday it will.

The realities of life, however, didn't stop me from spending some much-needed creative time in the surf on this, the last day of the year. The light was terrible - muddy overcast that got brighter and darker almost by the second thanks to the unpredictable and fast-moving cloud cover - but given how rarely I get here, I didn't want to let that stop me. So I wandered into the crashing waves and started shooting.

It didn't take long for me to get lost in the moment, focused intently on the fast moving forms, talking myself through each set as I dialed in different settings and fired away. While I came away from the experience with pictures, it's the memory of what it felt like to be completely in that moment that I wish I could hold onto. I don't know how to replicate it here, now that I'm back in a cold climate filled with the often-conflicting pressures of everyday life.

But I'll certainly try. Because as I wildly followed the waves through my lens and felt the power of this place through every nerve ending I had, I realized this was the first time I had felt remotely like myself in months. I didn't want it to end.

Your turn: Finding peace. Repeating the feat later on. Please discuss.