I was on my daily walk through Everett’s Forest Park when I saw a young girl with a small kite. She was running so joyfully with the kite swerving up and down in the air. Remembering my younger years of flying kites on ocean beaches, I thought of the pleasures to be found in simple things like wind, water and sand. Such simple joy should not belong only to the young.

Stopping on my favorite hillside I looked down a steep wooded slope to the sea below. The winds of Port Gardner Bay are so refreshing, so soothing. I felt a connection to the sea and knew I would return to this place.

Turning to head back home I realized that we need the grounding and a firm foundation that comes from being outdoors. Open spaces can open up our souls, I felt.

When I return home perhaps I will tell my wife that I have decided to spend much of my retirement camping on ocean beaches. It is where kites like birds can fly forever on the wind.

Bradley Cole

Everett