Yesterday I watched my sea facing children on the shoreline of the beach. For a long time they stood, occasionally throwing a handful of sand into the waves. They drew in the sand but most they simply gazed over the water, their thoughts someplace I could not follow. My point of mental focus further than the ships holding themselves above the water like nervous bathers. My minds eye tried to recapture my childhood self. Which magical kingdom did my child self visit while she climbed rocks and gazed out to sea? What music played in her head when she danced on the sand? What wishes did she make with sea foam cupped in her hands?
I was tempted to ask my children to share their thoughts, but that seemed intrusive. My missing memories did not return to me, they may now lap on an invisible shore, but the naked essence and magic of faded memory brought a smile, a wish and a daydream.