The Coast

  Growing up the beach has always been an important part of my life. My family vacationed to many different beaches where so many memories have been made. Watching my aunt and uncle get married on a beach in the Dominican Republic. Even as far as going to Presque Ilse in Erie, both with my grandparents when I was a child or going there with my friends on the weekends during the fall semester. No matter what It has been the coast and beach has meant something to me. So when I read the words of Yeats in his poem "The Meditation of the Old Fisherman" I felt like I could relate to the whole poem. 

Within he is talking about a boy who has never had his heart broken by t
he water playing in the waves and just being able to be happy.  These words really stand to resonate with me. No matter what age i have been the water on the beach and the waves crashing have brought me peace... even all the way in Ireland. When we were at the Giants Causeway and sitting on the rocks just looking out at the horizon, it brought me peace. All of the issues that it felt like I was having tended to just disappear. Yes, there was not a beach there but it was just being on the coast. 

The same goes for when I took a walk yesterday along the river here in Dungarvan. I was sitting in Starbucks and was stressed about the amount of homework that I had to get done within the next week. I decided that I just needed to walk and see where my feet took me. I explored. I walked around town and went into shops that interested me, but if you can guess where this is going. My feet, and heart, lead me to the coast. I just ended up standing there listening to the birds and the breeze blows my hair. Like the poem says i felt like there "was never a crack in my heart." When I realized that I needed to get back to reality, I walked along the water until I could not anymore. It was the peace that was needed after a
long week.