REAPING THE REWARDS OF DIVINE SUNLIGHT

Wanting the warmth of pure sunshine on my skin, feeling the liveliness of the flesh as it tickles the pores of my skin, as the sun pours its comforting baking feeling on my body, through my clothes, onto bare skin.

Rubbing in tanning oil, or olive oil, all over the arms and legs, and torso and face, gently massaging it all deeply into my body. Moistening the skin, moisturizing it, watching it glisten, as it reflects the light coming directly from a sunray with no shade in sight.

Browning the skin, causing it to tan, enriching the color and turning it into a deep golden hue, like frying chicken legs, spitting and spattering on a pan as the oil flies all over, getting the color to change shades, and to look beautiful, not a pale whitish that represents ill health.

A shine to one's face, rosy cheeks that caught a few rays of sunshine, pinching them to get even pinker, a pinkish-red of a healthy color, like after one climbs a mountain and glows from head to toe with the reward of the success of a job well done.

Ein Sof, a Name for God, is all about Divine Light. The light one receives at the beach is this Divine Light and this is why it feels warm and comforting on the skin. All types of light: direct sunlight (i.e. sunlight) and reflective light (i.e. moonlight) are all Divine Light, all examples of how Ein Sof reaches out to us and warms us, lights our paths even in the darkness. It is this same light that is necessary for seeds to grow into plants. When one learns, as such from a parent or teacher, it is said he gets the "light" of knowledge and truth. Parents teaching children gives them a warm taste of this light, of Divine Light. Of Ein Sof. Ein Sof, or Divine Light is a gift from God, from HASHEM, to feel better, to feel His holiness and have His holiness transfer onto us as we become holier because we know and feel Ein Sof on our skins, and deep into our spiritual bodies and souls. 

LOOKING SEAWARD AND UPWARD FULFILLS A DREAM

Beach flies biting my arms, like bees they do sting.
Belting out a cry but then began to sing!
Singing a song of being satisfied with one's lot,
Always greener on the other side of the fence, it is not.

Laying prone down on some sand and rocks, gazing up,
Seeing green waters ahead, like fountains that fill my thirsty cup.
Drinking from a water bottle, like it was a warm milk-filled baby bottle,
No milk, just water to keep my throat liquefied and in gear as a throttle.

Children next to me swinging on swings, mothers pushing them taking their turn,
Laughing and singing, swings whistling in the wind as the sun does burn.
Cellphones ringing, on call,
Time to take a break from it all.

After getting well needed rest and baking in the sun,
I got up and sauntered over to the sea, so peaceful; waves there were none.
Sunning myself and absorbing the vitamin D was healthy and fun,
Will do it again tomorrow and with God we will be One.

DUNK ME: ANOINT ME

Dunk me in the water,
Spill it over my head.
Cleanse my hands, one by one,
Pour water three times over each hand,
To soothe the red.

Take water and cleanse my feet,

Anoint me.
Tickle my toes with perfumed lotions,
Massage my heels and soften the calluses,
So I can pretend I am a princess who lives in palaces.

Flow water through my teeth,

Whiten them with abrasive brushing.
Then pour spicy mouthwash passed my dry lips,
And I will gargle and come to grips.

Wrap me in clean dry clothing,

My sackcloth I have removed.
Warm the cloth on top of a radiator,
So I can win the battle of a gladiator.
Cover my war-torn skin,
So I can sit respectfully next to my kin.

Take me to a Shul,
Help me to be comfy and on a hot day to be cool.

Sit, bow and then stand with me during the Amidah,
And later I will join you for the Havdalah.

Let us listen to the Torah Study,

Answer my 4 questions and be my buddy.
We will go home with increased peace after praying,
And teach the people what God is saying.

AN ANGRY AFTERNOON OCEANIC EXPERIENCE

 

Just got back from a very exciting walk on the beach, the waves were extremely rough and heightened today, higher than usual. Threatening and treacherous, the torrents of water came forth like escaped prisoners, crashing, smashing, surging and pumping onto a vibrating heavy sandy shoreline. For a moment I stood there unbelieving, but became convinced because my legs bent under the force as they were buffeted by the angriest waves!

Who did what to provoke God into such fierce wrath?! The waves lashed out and the sea swelled and heaved in a great cursed crushing power that scared even me! What a passionate scene it was, like no other trip to the beach I have had yet.

There were a few ponds and puddles briny deep in the sand as the water mass spread breaking its usual boundaries. Glassy ferocious sheets of water, as tall as walls, swelled up and splashed into multitudinous breakers all over the beach, each wave sinking deeper than the other into the sand onto a great large expanse of the shoreline, moving for miles--even forming quicksand pools. Watch where you step!

An abundance of food like holy manna--an end to hunger--came as a heavenly calling to the seagulls who were hunting for fish as they were tossed upwards out of the violent water. Bounding downwards the gulls scanned the sea with penetratingly sharp vision, easily finding their suppers. The swelling waters were living waters and provided them well. They flew from everywhere toward the shore and not one went home empty and hungry. Full tummies tonight and hopefully a calmer day tomorrow to digest it all.

MY SHELLFISH FRIEND FOUND HIS WAY BACK HOME

 

At the lake, I lucked to come across a crustacean animal crawling out from a large circular golden-green seashell that had rows of beads growing down its sides, daring like a turtle, to peek out its head to feel the warmth of the sun and sand. Shellfish, not to be eaten (not kosher), this creature can live out a full life without being my supper. He can become my friend.

Once it left its shell, the shell became my earphone, as I put the opening close to my ear and heard a great powerful sound--the rushing wind blowing out the sound of the sea; it was magnificently within my hearing range to remind me how vast and great the waters are--and how calm, like a musical instrument that whispers in a soothing voice similar to the sea softly humming quietly, peacefully.

With my other ear to my radio, I heard the songs of a Cantor Jewish Musician/Singer belting out in chant a holy song with his holy spirited voice on a Friday to prep me for Shabbat, the day of rest that comes on Saturday. His lungs were full and exploding with strength to call Hebrew words to me, as I settled in to listen to his sweet music. He brings me great joyous rejoicing and appreciation for the Jewish Sabbath ahead, which I look forward to all week long. Each weekday is numbered as one less day before Saturday, Monday: means 6 days left till Shabbat, Tuesday: 5, and finally in its greatness we get Saturday as it comes as the last day of the week--the day God rested after creating the world. Friday, today is my spa day, the day before Saturday, a day when I prepare for Shabbat.

I sat down the round golden-green shell again, as the animal wanted his home back to retreat into to escape the outside world, a place of peace for him to rest too, as God rested, and as we rest on Saturdays. He then found his way back into his hole, the entrance to his home--he hurriedly crawled back in. Good bye to you my little friend!

And I then gently tossed him and his shell back into the sea, back into a pool of safety for the little guy. Somewhere, out there is my little friend, swimming, crawling, and hopefully not venturing out too far from home.

SCULPTING SANDCASTLES AT SUNSET

 

Spending a quiet, unassuming, relaxing evening writing poetry at the beach; it is just before sunset and after a summer rainstorm. Looking out from the shore like a sailor onto the lake water, watching buoys bouncing to and fro as they wait patiently for a rope to be attached to dock a boat. Yachts speeding by causing waves to zoom forth, splitting the seas.

A flock of resting seagulls all standing still, not moving, undaunted, like stubborn goats they remain firm in their stance, all alertly listening as one lone gull calls to the others loudly and sweetly. She is the leader.

Lifeguard stands are empty, no swimming right now allowed after sunset on a public city beach.

Hearing waves rushing, melodically as a softly sung song, as they brush up against a rain-saturated sandy shore, one by one, humming and swishing the sand into pools of swirling sculptural shapes.

A sunset behind me slowly sinking into the horizon to the west reflects in the soft clouds to the east. A beautiful yellow-pinkish color saturates the lower sky beneath a few lonely clouds that are poised far apart causing the sea to be a very bright deep cobalt blue in contrast to the lighter, redder colors of the sky above it.

An active girl child is running and jumping over the water's waves, barefoot, building a sandcastle just to tear it down again and then build another. Her mother is meditating as her child plays in the waves. Listening intently to the sounds of an empty beach, empty now except for the birds, and how nicely quiet they are, satisfied by their hard day's work--a day of fishing. These seagull birds are meditating too.

Kayaks are coming now from the south, decorating the sea with a bit of human life as they paddle in succession like an army. Quietude is all around except for the lifting of their paddles from the water, will be quiet until morning again when the beach will again be crowded with swimmers.

Then comes the climax: a loud frantic helicopter noisily and amazingly appears from behind a cloud, cutting with its metal into the sky over where I sit, beating his propellers and scaring all the gulls away! They all take flight like a frightened herd of elephants and move away into the dune grass seeking solace.

Now the helicopter is gone too leaving me alone on the beach without the birds, without commotion, time for me to take my leave too, to get sleep, as the red sun has now completely disappeared.

A KINGDOM OF BIRDS, FISH, AND INSECTS AT THE BEACH

Seagulls and sparrows, pigeons and hawks, airplanes and hand gliders fill the skies at the Lake Michigan public beaches. Look up into the clouds when you are not looking out upon vast expanses of living waters, and see a sky filled with life and activity!

Birds bombing the waters, flying predators taking dives from very high in the sky after circling their prey, the unsuspecting fish hanging out below, swoosh! the seagull makes a beeline dive and scoops up a mouthful of Koi fish in its beak after making about twenty circles over its head, and then finally zoning in to get its dinner and  flying off to its nest to eat it and feed it also to its young.

Happy seagulls and thriving sparrows! Sparrows all chitter-chattering and squeaking out bird calls, gathering up seeds that fall from the dune grass into their hungry open mouths. So many seeds! Cracking them then digesting the meats, tearing apart the chaff and then throwing the shell away. The dune grass produces more and more seeds. The sparrows never grow hungry, there is always an abundance to eat at the beach. The birds then fly easterly, towards the water, always natural waters for them to drink, and they never growing thirsty.

There are Mallard ducks swimming along the shores in twos--husbands and wives--bonded as mates for their entire lives. Red and green feathery rings around their long necks, like wedding bands, they are swimming together in matrimony.

Birds of every type: flocks of geese too, herons, and hawks, are flying toward the lake, knowing where to find food and water, building nests of shelters in trees along the way near a world of fun at the lakeside beach.

Dragonflies flitting on by, buzzing and jerking, back and forth, they are companions to the yellow jacket honeybees who sip Cola syrup off the tops of picnic benches. The dragonflies and bees are looking dangerous, just don't swat them, stay clear! Let them be to go about their business and you about yours, so you do not get into each others' way. Billions of insects at the beach! And bloodthirsty beach flies; cover your bare legs!

So much life at the beach: a world of birds, insects and fish, among billion year old rocks that have not yet become sand. Rocks of tan, white, gray, red, and yellow hues--different shapes and sizes--perfect to gather up for your backyard home gardens. Rocks to walk on, but no, not barefoot! Wear your thongs! Step on only sand barefoot, squishing warm golden sand between your toes instead. The sand massages my tired feet, as it jostles underneath my heel forming the perfect impression of my foot in the sand, kicking up sand as I hike on by.

Yes, activity at the beach can be fun and relaxing too. Enjoy a brisk entrance into the water, feel it chill your skin and then dunk in one body part at a time, jumping up and down in the water in vain to keep warm! Feel the spectacular sensations of the watery waves one by one caressing your body, as you struggle to keep your head above water to breathe! Catch a Frisbee and throw it back!

A day at the beach, long to be remembered as having the time of my life! Next summer I will plan do it again!

KITES FLYING LIKE BIRDS ON THE BEACH

Stepping out my front door onto the golden dry windy sandy beaches of Lake Michigan, surprised to see colorful floating kites everywhere in the sky! An Air and Water Show! Like angels made out of thin paper, in wonderful creative designs they fly!

Pulling back on the cord, the kites will fly higher and higher! Wind whistling through them like sails, speedily flapping long tails tied with bows, heaving back and forth, they lift up and catch a drift and then dive down, searing and scraping the cloudy blueness, like paper airplanes.

Blue ones, red ones, yellow ones, multi-colored kites. Happy children flying kites, responsible parents teaching them how.

Whoops! A kite string snapped, broke in two! The kite is now free and up with the wind flying further and further away, and now having its independence, a life of its own, to venture out wherever the breeze takes it to go. The kite is free, freedom takes it far away to travel to the ends of the earth!

SIMPLY SAY: "I LOVE YOU"

How can it be dark during the lightest part of the summer months? Changing your darkness to light is not a hard thing to do:

Turn on a light bulb, or simply open the curtain of a window; take a few deep breaths, fill your lungs to their fullest capacity, and breathe out slowly, and then do it again and then again.

Light a candle, or just spark a cigarette lighter, stretch your mouth into a happy joyful sincere smile! Think about something you are grateful to have, a place where you are grateful to be, a person you are grateful to know or have known.

Touch someone's heart, simply say “Good Morning!” to the person sitting next to you. Exercise your legs or arms even if you are sitting in a chair: do chair exercises. Arch your back so you have a straighter more erect upwards posture putting back your shoulders, then relax your entire body with another deep breath.

Write a family member a letter, or send them an email. Keep in touch with your loved ones. Phone them, or if you can go to their home and pay them a visit. Let them know that you love them, tell them that you love them: Say, “I love you.” Don't be afraid of being too sappy or emotionally-charged, because something could happen, they could die and you would never have said what you meant to say to them: that you really care about them and love them dearly.

A LESSON TO TEACH FROM THE BEACH

Bikinis, bare midriffs, muscles bulging under creamy suntan oil. Lost a few pounds this summer? Show it off at the beach!

Lazy lawn chairs lined up, beach blankets laid out, towels hanging and drying, water jugs filled with lemonade with a twist.

Sitting and sniffing and getting a whiff of the poignant dune grass growing next to you,

watching a Monarch butterfly coming out of a cocoon.

Seagulls everywhere! Dancing and congregating, as if in a Cherokee Indian Ceremony. Lifting their spindly legs and plopping down their wide webbed feet into deep hot sand. Feeling like dancing with them!

Tossing a seagull a piece of my snack bag popcorn, and seeing him eagerly fetching it. At least one seagull will not go hungry today! I ask him "Would you like some butter and salt?" :)

Large blue sun umbrellas shading children like a sukkah from fierce burning sunrays. Mist and spray of the sea blowing westerly in my direction off the surface of the wildly waving waters. Families erecting green, blue, and red umbrellas like national flags, staking out beach boundaries and territories to keep their children safe.

Brought a children's book titled “Hanukkah” with me to the beach, flipping pages and they fan me to keep cool. Imagining a freezing snowy day in December as the humid hot air blows sand onto my lap: dreaming of latkes cooked in kosher kitchens, knowing a future of holiday seasons awaits me: Rosh Hashanah is only a few weeks away. Green tart apples, sweet red apples, apple cobbler with cinnamon, all delectable Rosh Hashanah treats to tickle my tummy, not forgetting the honey!

Beaches are fun places to mingle, to read a good book, to bask in the sun, to dream, to relax, to hope for another fun day at the beach soon. Keepin' on comin' to the beaches and havin' fun!

WATER WATER EVERYWHERE!

Embittered waters, sweetening those waters.
The Torah springing out of the River Nile, reading it, it is a companion.
Sugar on paper, etchings onto a tablet, rocks in a river, not sinking.

Neutral waters, waters without reaction: stone-faced, stone-hearted, stiff-necked, not affected.

Waters with a purpose to hydrate not intoxicate.

Waters that burn; waters that chill.

Slippery waters, soaking waters, showering waters, waters that purify.
White water rapids rapidly massaging, sitting in a spa.

Bubbly waters, spicy waters, spiked waters, fizzy waters: waters to drink.

Wildly waving waters, mildly tasting waters, juiced up waters, waters tickling as I lick.

Vinegar and troubled waters, tonic waters, fire waters: very hot to handle.

Waters that fight, no bridges in sight, waters that argue, waters taking flight.
Polluted waters, poisoned waters, fish floating belly side-up.

Tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, an overflowing broken dam.

Rushing waters, stagnant waters, surging waters, waters that gurgle, waters that purge.
Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.

Water moistening, water moisturizing, water pumping and spilling over: living and breathing water!

Water falling from the sky, water shooting up from geysers from the ground.
Tohu and Bohu waters uniting on a lake horizon, forming fog.

Diving, splashing, and merry-making. Coming up like Aphrodite from the foam of the sea!

Relaxation, work, holiness, happiness. Holy water sprinkled on my face, diving headfirst into a mikvah!

Natural waters, chlorinated waters, and waters that include 10% rain water.

Water with bubbles, water with soap, water flowing from a cup.

Spilling over, saturating, sipping the wetness, cooling the throat.

Gargle, swallow, pure and happy satisfaction! Another glass of water, please?

SUNLIGHT LIGHTING UP MY LIFE

Is sunlight white? Is it bluish-white or yellowish-white? Or does it depend on whether or not it is twilight?

When light filters through the leaves of a tree, is it greenish-white? If it is greenish-white does this mean the Irish have left us a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?

What color is white? Does white contains all colors, dividing light with a glass prism shining bright?

Is sunlight warm or is sunlight cold, or does it depend on whether there is snow?

Does the moon give us sunlight, reflecting enough sun, and is this reflection enough to guide us in the night? Or does it depend on whether the moon is full?

When sunlight shines on a lake, it sparkles, dances, jumps, and reaches out. The fish find it and surface onto the light, upsurging from the bottom of the sea and getting into the warmth.

Does a person need to be in the limelight? If you like lemons instead of limes, can your light still be bright?

What does one do while waiting for the light to shine? Roll over and go back to sleep. Why is it easy to sleep when the sun is not shining? What makes us live in and for the light, instead of being nocturnal? What would we do if we always had light and never night? How tired we would be if we could not sleep!

Light and night, day and dark, we need a time to live and also a time to die, a time to be awake and a time to sleep, a time to talk and a time to be silent. We need all these things and it is the sun and moon who provide us with their happy light.

Thank God, for the sun and moon, what would we do without you?? Should we worship the sun and moon, or is it enough to just thank them, and worship God instead for providing us with them?

Questions of the universe. I have more than 4 questions, does it make me dumb if I do not know the answers, or does it make me smart because I am inquisitive? Can anyone provide me with the answers to the questions I seek? Can you send me a message in a bottle, drop it into my sea and I will wait for it on the nearest beach?

I have found no answers, but I have found a bottle. It is an empty bottle and the glass is smoothed because it has been floating for who knows how long. I will write my questions onto a note and put it into the bottle and send it afloat. Hmmm... I could wait forever this way, to get an answer to my questions. If I never get an answer, should I ask another? Should I create my own answers to my questions? Should I pretend I know all the answers to all the questions and never ask again?

Yes, it is fun to wonder, it makes life wonderful! I will keep asking, I think, and keep waiting for an answer. It is important to keep wondering, even when an answer is not provided. I will hope that someday, someone will tell me.

A PEN AND A PAD OF PAPER

Writing. What is it all about?

It is about talking to a pad of paper and having a conversation.

A pad of paper does not argue back or disrespect you,
It listens to every word you say, without criticism, with doting approval.

Quietly, so you can think, patiently so you can develop an idea.

And without interrupting you so you can continue your conversation.

Want to talk to someone very special? “Talk to me!” says the pad of paper.

“I will be your loving audience and friend!”