A Pretty Good Day
In bad times it helps to remember good days.
I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank piña coladas. At sunset, we made love like sea otters. THAT was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get THAT day over and over.—Phil Conners in Groundhog Day
Some days, all the sand in the machinery of the universe suddenly clears, and everything runs on miraculous grease. Our insides are attuned to our outsides, our plans come off without a hitch, and everything is effortlessly lovely.
Several years ago, my wife and I stumbled into one of these blessed days at Cannon Beach, on the Oregon coast. The sky was full of heavenly white clouds, the air was warm, and the surf sparkled.
At low tide we walked the beach without any plan other than to head toward Haystack Rock, the beach’s iconic sea stack.
1. Sandcastles
The first thing we came upon were some sandcastles. We got down on our hands and knees and took frog’s eye photos of them. The photos flicked the switch that allows adults to see things as children do: the castles grew large, the clods of sand became hills, and the landscape suddenly stretched out into infinity. The beach was suddenly enchanted.
2. The Seagull
At the first rocks we came to, some seagulls warned us off with their cries. They were nesting. Until this day, I had always seen seagulls on the wing or begging for handouts on the docks, but here they were busy parenting, patrolling their territory and squawking us away. We moved off, but the birds charged us with nature’s electric energy.
3. Puff of Cloud
Out on the beach, a puff of cloud appeared. It had floated down from the train of migrating clouds above and hung over us like a child breaking off from its parents to watch our curious human ways. It doubled the energy and gave the whole beach an air of laughter.
4. The Kite Shop
We wandered into the town of Cannon Beach, and we saw a kite shop. Unfortunately, it was closed. We looked in the window, and we thought how lovely it would be to live in a town with a kite store, where school children learned kite building with their ABCs, and everyone knew the ways of the wind.
5. Haystack Rock
Haystack Rock had what looked like a ramp leading up to a cave. It looked like the home of a sea god. I could see the god’s acolytes dressed in white robes, climbing the ramp to his throne and laying at his feet trays full of mussels, starfish, and crabs. It was clearly sacred ground.
6. Shadows
As the sun set and the light faded, the people walking the beach disappeared into their silhouettes. It was as if some mage had suddenly put everyone under a spell. Their shadows tangled on the sand like shadow puppets on a curtain, and we needed no special revelation to see the oneness of all things.
7. Storm Clouds
Several years later, we returned to Cannon Beach, hoping to repeat our magical day, but it did nothing but rain the whole time we were there. We walked out onto the beach and into the storm, and we got drenched.
I guess that’s the one bad thing about good days, and the one good thing about bad days—that no day is ever the same.
And that’s good.
The best days are not shells to pocket; they are stones to skip on the water—just to watch the shattering of the light.
If you like the art, click the heart! It increases the visibility of Tulipwood on the Substack platform! Thanks!
Wonderful essay. I live in this area. It really is that magical!
My wife and I used to live in Rockaway Beach for many years, I did a lot of work for a man who owned a kite shop. If you are ever coming back to the area, hit me up, we can show you around.