I don’t meditate. I lose myself in nature, flowers, wildlife and the ocean. Have you noticed how a lot of meditation actually works off the nature theme? Meditation audios talk about warm sunshine, a breeze, earth, ground and so on.
I admit that I find it hard to sit still, and hard to relax, I am an impulsive and energetic person. So when I feel blue, down or upset, I force myself out into nature, take my camera, and off I go! It works every time. No doubt, I feel 100% better when I get home, my body is worn out by movement and fresh air, and my camera is usually full of pretty shots.
This Sunday I decided to go for a stroll around my neighborhood: Pompano Beach.
If we take a little detour into South Florida history, we find out that Pompano Beach is the second oldest city in Broward County, and the fifth oldest in all of South Florida. The actual town of Pompano Beach was established in 1908, when it became a ‘corporated town’, then in Dade county. However, a settlement was there quite some time before, as according to the Pompano Historic Society, the need for a schoolhouse became apparent in 1899, and the first general store opened in 1900.
The first thing that strikes me as endearingly eccentric, is that Pompano is apparently named after a fish that is found along the Florida Atlantic coast: the Pompano. How appropriate, really! Fishing in South Florida is part of every-day life. I would even go as far as to say: if you don’t enjoy the ocean, boating and/or fishing in South Florida, you are in the wrong place. In the summer months, the only way to battle the heat is on the water!
Recently, Pompano Beach has seen many improvements around the fishing pier area, with a lovely new walkway and park, boasting an outdoor gym, and outside barbeque facilities. The fishing pier itself is around 46 years old, and I admit to having a strange fascination with it. There are always plenty of ‘characters’ fishing off the pier. I even once got a lesson by a very patient Cuban, who later on suggested we would make a good married couple, which is when I took leave rather swiftly.
There is always something to see on and ‘from’ the pier. On my most recent stroll I saw a huge stingray in the clear waters below, and was lucky enough to snatch a little picture of the magnificent creature.
So this was my latest anti-depressant pill, and guess what? It worked, as per usual! Here is a collection of pier shots:
