Returning to Chatham...

   I hadn't visited Chatham on Cape Cod for over 25 years.  I am spending a few day in this lovely sea side village this week and it is so interesting to see how things have changed.  Not so much the village, which of course has seen some modifications, but how my way of looking at the village has changed in the ensuing 25 years.  Chatham was always just a quaint little town with my favorite inn, The Chatham Bars Inn, and lovely shops.  Now, it is still all that but my perceptions have shifted to the more subtle aspects of the place.

   Over time, the practice of contemplative photography does alter the way you approach a familiar or remembered location.  My priorities are just not the same.  In a very real way, I am in fact seeing Chatham for the first time and it is wonderful.

   Yesterday was the first day we saw the sun and I headed for the beach.  Strolling the water's edge before the summer crowds arrive is one of my favorite things to do.   Finding this boat stranded at low tide reminded me of why I love the ocean so much.  It is the cyclical nature of the tides.  Each low tide reveals something new, from the patterns in the sand to the things left behind.  Each day, twice a day, the slate is wiped clean.  Someone walked their dog earlier and their paths converged.  Soon, if the sun comes out fully, the beach will host sun bathers, children will look for shells, someone will toss a Frisbee and the seaside will be a buzz of activity.  Later, the ancient and eternal sea will, again, wipe the slate clean for the next day.  This is a lesson we all can take away; each day we have the opportunity to begin again.  Each day is a fresh start.  We only have this day, this moment and it is our duty to make the most of it whether it brings fair or foul.  Tomorrow we will begin again...