Resignation

I just walked out for a while to clear my head and stretch muscles cramped from sitting and - just as I reached the furthest point and with nowhere to shelter - it started to rain. At first there were just a few drops and then a downpour. I walked through it with my head bowed and, in the matter of a couple of minutes, I was soaked and getting cold in the chill breeze.

In my youth I would have either laughed and danced in the rain or railed against it. Today I just felt a grim resignation; a dull ache that is a frequent companion; even here on my beloved beach.

I knew that the rain would stop and that I would soon dry and warm; I also knew that some things would continue and, if I walked all day and all night, they would still dog my heels.