Sunrise is a very special time for me. It is a way for me to relax and restore my senses.

I have watched the sunrise in many places, in this country and many other countries as well as the middle of the Atlantic, Pacific, the Med, the Indian and even the Persian Gulf.  I love it anywhere but next to ocean will always be my favorite.   It has an effect on all of my senses.

Sight - by arriving at the beach when it is still dark one is able to watch the entirety of the show that happens every morning, no matter where you are.  The sight includes peripheral vision, edge to edge and as far as we can see, which I seem to remember is about 12-14 miles when sitting on the ground.  Some days there is so much magnificence in the view that I am brought to tears, it is a visual delight.

Sound - when I walk out onto the beach the sounds of the world start to fade, literally and figuratively.  The sounds of air conditioners, cars, ambulances and all the rest fade down as the sound of the surf and seagulls fades up.  Surf and seagulls are the original white noise, the never ending drum of the waves crashing and birds fighting over food create an environment that is devoid of anger, turmoil or stress of any kind.

Smell – I love the smell of the ocean, from the very first time I saw it in Atlantic City back in the early 70’s with my Mom.  I loved it the whole 10 years I served in the US Navy, although I remember the port at Dakar Senegal had a rather unique odoriferous emanation.   The smell of the salt air is just an amazingly refreshing thing, it is almost impossible to describe.   

Touch - I love walking off the asphalt and cement, leaving the hard, inflexible and immovable right into the soft, nonconforming always moving.  Small changes in latitude make such a huge difference in attitude.  Tere is just not much better than sand between the toes!  Some days when the wind is blowing, feeling the sand and salt on your face is cool.

Taste – seems silly to think of taste when talking about the sunrise or the beach.  Well, there is a taste, a taste of the air, the hint of salt as you breathe.  There is also the taste of salt as you lick your lips.  It is a total sensory experience for me and I wish everyone could feel the way I do when I watch it. 

And the sixth sense, whatever you want to call it - me I like soul – It is a very cleansing experience for me, flushing out the bad and pulling in the good.  I know that sounds simplistic but that is how I live my life – distance from the bad, of any sort, and draw in the good – simple and it works for me.  I find a certain peace in the solitude of my old plastic purple lawn chair while sitting out there.  I have made some great friends out there as well.  Every time I walk away, whatever trouble I may be dealing with seems so insignificant and unimportant after watching the total majesty of a sunrise.

So that my friend is why I go to watch the sunrise on the beach J