Before heading to Big Sur last week to celebrate my 50th birthday, Big Papa and I spent a night in Monterey. Appropriately, we stayed in the ‘California Room’ at the Martine Inn in Pacific Grove which is just across the street from the ocean. We enjoyed a lovely leisurely day, just the kind of day you need to make the transition from hectic city life to I’m–on-vacation-mode.

Strolling along Ocean View Boulevard to Lover’s Point, we took our time to enjoy the views and stop here and there to watch Harbor seals lounging on nearby rocks or frolicking in the surf.

Later we walked to dinner at Passionfish. The food was fantastic and, as it turned out, we were seated next to a woman who was also celebrating her 50th. Both she and her husband were originally from New York City. As an upstate New Yorker myself, it was a small world moment of serendipity.

The next morning, Big Papa and I hoofed over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. My last visit there was over twenty-five years ago. We saw five Sea Otters playfully scooting around their indoor tank. Maggie, Mae, Joy, Toola, and Rosa are at the aquarium because they were rescued from the wild and have medical or behavioral issues. We passed by an octopus, smart enough to figure out how to stick his tentacle through a puzzle to extract six tasty shrimp. In the ‘Splash Zone,’ we touched a silky smooth flounder and an array of sea critters.

One of the highlights was viewing the 28-foot deep Kelp Forest. Fishes large and small wove their way through undulating fronds of kelp. I was mesmerized by the colors, blue-green water against the mustard yellow kelp accented by the bright sparkle and changing patterns of Pacific Sardines swimming by in silvery schools like clouds in the sky.

Water is primordial. It’s where life on earth began. For me, it is deeply alluring. As a child, playing and swimming in the water was my escape. I loved to hold my breath and plunge beneath the surface. The silence of my watery world soothed me and the silky feel of pushing my body through the water was so sensual.

Big Papa and I left the aquarium and walked back along the ocean’s edge. The rhythm of the surf echoed my own heart beat. I felt calm and centered. Ready for the days of surprise that lay ahead.

Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach – waiting for a gift from the sea. ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh