A trip down to the river

Today I went for a walk with Tess and we went down to Daffodil Valley, a quiet, peaceful beach where I hardly ever see anyone else. And I was wondering, what is it about going to the beach or being outside like that that makes me so happy?

• It's quiet and calm
  
• It's a break from doing homework
• It's quite beautiful
• It's not like being on campus
• It's always with someone I love to spend to spend time with
  

Okay those are some reasons. But then I began to wonder, if this is such a nice place, why aren't there people here all the time? Possible reasons:

• They don't know about it
• They don't like going to beach
• They are scared of giant crickets (there was one on the beach)
• It's too far away (but really it's only like a 10 minute walk from campus)

Maybe everyone else is just completely satisfied with being on campus and they don't need to get away every once in a while. Or maybe they get away differently.

Regardless, this afternoon was quite wonderful. Full of sand, water, and prickly pear cacti (why not catuses, like octopuses, both are a little dangerous and resilient and I think kind of difficult to eat).

Well, here goes...

"Some, however would derive the word from sans terre, without land or a home, which, therefore, in the good sense, will mean, having no particular home, but equally at home everywhere. For this is the secret of successful sauntering. He who sits in a house all the time may be the greatest vagrant of all; but the saunterer, in the good sense, in no more a vagrant than the meandering river..."

Thoreau wrote this in his essay "Walking." I feel drawn to this because sometimes I feel like I am wandering, but not necessarily sauntering. Walking, but without destination. I want to learn that secret.

Writing sometimes helps me figure things out. Maybe this will help and seeing it all will bring my thoughts together.