What am I?

I am 4 letters long. I can be seen in the sky. I am the ocean and the sea. ?????

BLUE!

(riddlesandanswers.com)               

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It’s a sunny, cloudless, 65 degree morning after 2 days of sputtering rain and whipping winds. We venture across the Santa Ana Mountains via the Ortega Highway through San Juan Capistrano, driving as far west as possible until we reach Doheny State Beach in Dana Point and…

arrive at the Pacific Ocean.

It’s quiet at the beach. The bamboo mat is rolled out like a red carpet beckoning us to make our grand entrance.

We reach the sandy pebble-packed “walk of fame”, emblazoned with the footprints large and small, of those who visited before us.

Surfers wait patiently to catch some waves to ride.

And I wait excitedly to capture the waves exploding on the rocks feeling their aftermath bathing my feet and pulling the sand beneath me…

…rendering me and the shore birds off balance as they retreat into the sea again.

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The sea shore always looks, sounds, and smells different while still tasting salty and feeling the same between the toes. The sand here, however, is not soft on this rocky beach

and the only shells that wash up are the bits and pieces leftover from the shore birds’ crustacean dinners. Today lobster shells are left behind.

It’s a smelly beach today too with deposits of red and green seaweed and kelp washed ashore by the waves and wind.

Within an hour the waves die down and the tide goes out, revealing the rocky surface that was under the water when we first arrived.

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The ocean inspires me to be present and fully alive in each moment. I walk quietly and wait for the waves to embrace me and then let me go. The waves erase my footprints reminding me that I can always start over and admonishing me to not take myself too seriously.

Dressed in sunlight, the water sparkles and the washed up pebbles shine like jewels. I am mesmerized by the brilliance around me and grateful for this gift from the sea.

But the ocean has a dark and angry side as well, which I fear and respect. It’s yin and yang personality tells us a story about nature, life, and earth… lessons we can take to heart.

And finally…