My 5 senses have come to rely on the ocean's constant company:
- I wake up and hear the crashing of the waves--a soothing sound that grounds me before I even open my eyes.
- I walk into our kitchen/living room and two large windows frame an expanse of deep blue, speckled with fishing boats, a bright sky, and seagulls in flight.
- Gabi and I step out our building en-route to school and are greeted with a fresh and livening breath of sea air - saltier on windy days.
- On my walk home, my bare feet relish the cool water and smooth sand.
- Taste: ok, I don't drink the salt water, but we do eat a lot of fish and seafood, so by association, I do ingest the ocean!
Days are not always sunshines and rainbows (yes, even on extended vacation!), so my remedy has been the ocean. Early in the morning and late at night, I sit out on our balcony and just watch and listen. The ocean has kept me calm and present. And I've caught our kids doing it too!
The Portuguese people are calm. Things take longer here: waiting in line to pay at the grocery store or for your restaurant bill, taking out library books, getting government papers, working life around the 2 hour lunch closures at businesses, even waiting for people to cross the street...the Portuguese do not rush. And yes, it has taken some getting used to!
But the truth is, I find the Portuguese always have a moment to talk, smile, drink a coffee sitting at a coffee shop (no drive thrus!), interact with the people around them--they make time for simple pleasures. Every day I am struck by the number of locals that walk down to the water to stare out at the ocean. Retired locals, staff from the downtown shops and workplaces, kids from the middle school and high school, couples, families--so many take a daily dose of "ocean therapy", they make it a deliberate part of their day. Canadians might call this "mindfulness"--I think its just the way of life here.
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