Big foamy whitecaps crush against the adjacent shoreline. Nearby, smaller waves lap around smoothed lava boulders. Overhead, puffy grayish clouds sail by and the leaves of the palm trees sway. A salty breeze whistles past Cricket’s cheeks, swirls around her ears. She watches Beach Buddy stand at the edge of the tepid ocean, contemplating a swim, while her feet are buried safely in the moist sand. They have the beach mostly to themselves, just the way Cricket likes it. Cricket takes a deep breath in. The moist, ocean air feels good on her dried-out desert lungs and skin.
Like always, Cricket keeps an intense watch for any danger, anything that feels unsafe, and even more so at the beach. Cricket has a hard time relaxing, just letting go. Cricket is always vigilant, even more so in this foreign terrain, but she listens to the waves roll in. Wave after wave. She starts to synchronize her breath to the rhythm of the ocean. She remembers the practice she has learned in yoga, the Ujjayi Breath and begins to practice it. She closes her eyes, begins to let go. Before long she becomes more peaceful. Though still vigilant, she begins to relax. She looks around with curiosity and notices all the green exotic plants. In fact, it looks like every house plant she has ever tried to grow is thriving nearby: palms, philodendrons, ferns. Her sense of wonder begins to take over.
Meanwhile, Beach Buddy is now fully immersed and is body surfing. Cricket remembers how Beach Buddy swears by the medicinal properties of the ocean water. Cricket becomes intrigued, though still intimidated by the current, the waves, and she is especially concerned about the occasional big wave that comes unexpectedly out of absolute nowhere every so often. She is even more troubled by the weird-looking sea creatures that look like snakes. She goes back to her Ujjayi breath…
Stay tuned to find out WHO Cricket is,
WHERE Cricket comes from,
HOW I came to know Cricket,
and WHY Cricket is in my life.
