Sometimes a camera is just not enough to capture a moment or a scene, and sometimes, you may not even have a camera…
For a runner, there is nothing quite like a morning jog on the beach. Barefoot, the sand briefly caressing your feet at every stride, feeling closer to nature. This particular morning I got up well before dawn, put on my running gear and took the 20 minute drive down to the south end of Miami beach. By the time I got out of the car the night was already slowly yielding to the faint light of day.
To the north, the glittering facade of the Gold Coast skyline fading away, the bright lights of the night life losing its battle with the realities of a new day. Out to the east, over the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, a continuous bank of jagged clouds appeared, different shades of grey, a pink hue above, like a mirage of a huge cityscape, maybe the re-appearance of the lost city of Atlantis? A mesmerising sight.
With the Lifeguard towers as my guide I run north, the light of day has won, the man-made lights extinguished, but the sun still hidden away just under the horizon to my right.
More people are joining me on the beach, some running, some walking, some just gazing out to sea in quiet contemplation. A couple of kids squealing with delight at every little wave that washes over them at the waters edge. A dog chasing a seagull. A few surfers looking a bit forlorn at the lazy swell, not promising much of a ride today.
Just before I turn around at tower 26 I see the bright orange reflection of the sun off the top floors of the buildings of Broadbeach, like a promise of what’s to come. A few minutes later it happens, as it has for millions of years and will for all eternity, the miracle of the rising sun.
At first it is just a bright crest of orange, it’s like this giant ball of light and life takes a little peek to see if we are all still here. Then quickly, forcefully, magnificently, it pushes its way up and above the horizon, before settling into a more sedate pace to light up yet another day in paradise.
It is good to be alive.
