I have been running and walking at the ocean in Southern California for years.   I have been a very lucky girl to have lived close enough to the ocean to get there within two to fifteen minutes.  Needless to say, I love the ocean.  Nature is my religion and even at times in my life it has been my salvation.  Some say it is because I am a Pisces considered to be the ultimate water sign, the two fish going in different directions.  I can relate to that.  Many times in my life I have felt like a “fish out of water” and that is why I constantly head for the ocean.  The ocean is where I connect to my spirituality.  

The ocean is full of mystery and light and a yin and yang energy that nurtures my very soul.  The water seems to be a different color each time I am there which is very often.  It is gorgeous in the daylight and glows in the night light.  I love to watch the children laughing and screaming as they dare the waves to come up to where they are.  I love to watch people of every age and culture be able to enjoy this very powerful natural beauty. 

I do my run/walk early in the morning sometimes and early in the evening other times.   The beach is so peaceful early in the morning.  That’s because most of humanity has not arrived yet.  I call it “the beach before and after humans”. The sand is a golden brown color.  It is soft and feels warm under my feet.  It is clean as far as my eyes can see.  That’s because the Beach King as it is called, the big machine that each day cleans the beaches of all of the trash that humans have left on the beach and around the ocean has just come by and taken away the remains of yesterday’s humanity.  How disgusting and incredibly frustrating that there are so many irresponsible, non-caring humans who leave their trash right next to the trash cans that are provided for them every few feet.   Why is that? 

It does not matter what nationality you are or what country you hail from for goodness sake.  Trash cans are trash cans are trash cans with words clearly written and in a couple of languages that say “please put trash in the trash can and honor the beaches”.  Why can’t people be more aware and conscious of their responsibility to our waters?  Even if you are leaving trash on the sand, it finds its way into the ocean.  This is very simple math.

It is sad that even the public restrooms are so disrespected.  If you arrive early in the morning the stalls are clean, the floor is hosed down and even the toilet paper is neatly rolled and ready.  Twelve hours later the toilet paper is plastered on the walls, all over the floor and even stuffed in the toilets.  The sinks are stuffed with toilet paper and sand.  In a few words, the restrooms are trashed. 

What could have happened in 12 hours to create this chaos?  Ah yes, humanity happened.  Yes, all those humans used the FREE public restrooms with no regard or consideration.   We need to take a wide-angle picture of the beach at 6am and again at 6pm and put it on a huge billboard so people can see the embarrassment of humanity’s lack of respect for what the Universe has given us that provides so much pleasure for FREE.

The ocean is a gift to us from the Universe.   Free to enjoy.  Free to explore.  Free to honor.  So what is the problem here?  Why can’t everyone respect, love and care for the oceans, beaches, rivers and the lakes?  Is it because it is not their personal home? Maybe it’s because there are times when no one is watching and humans can dump their trash in and around the sacred waters of our planet.

Honoring and respecting the oceans, lakes, rivers and the beaches has always been important.  Now it is becoming critical.  The waters of our world are our last hope for continuing to live a life of environmental peace and harmony.