07/24/2026
There’s a little beach along the Chesapeake Bay I like to escape to on summer mornings before it gets too hot and busy. It has some trees near the water and a small swimming beach protected by lifeguards, even though water doesn’t get more than about 3 feet deep. I took a dip. More of a slow stroll. And I found myself at the edge of the swimming area demarcated by a rope with Styrofoam floaties thinking about how far we are willing to get out of our comfort zone. I can feel the smooth sand under my feet. The water flows through my fingers. I taste the salt on my lips. I can see the murky water flowing to the horizon and beyond, between two points of land with tiny trees fading into the distance. But I’m in the safety zone. The defined area, the shallow water with the lifeguard on watch. I know what’s here. There is comfort and predictability. I consider that I don’t know with certainty what is beyond the rope. Even though the same water flows on either side of this arbitrary line. And as I sway with the waves, I imagine that the possibilities are expansive and truly limitless. I want to step under the rope and see what’s out there. Won’t you join me?
There’s a little beach along the Chesapeake Bay I like to escape to on summer mornings before it gets too hot and busy. It has some trees near the water and a small swimming beach protected by lifeguards, even though water doesn’t get more than about 3 feet deep. I took a dip. More of a slow str...
