Why We Need The Beach

Let’s be honest. We’ve all been a little down. COVID. Trump. Haters. Racism. Idiots. Liars. Delta Variant. Governor Cuomo. Governor Newsome’s recall.

I don’t believe in recalls.

It’s Cheating.

When someone is elected, we need to live with it. Vote next time.

That is the shortlist of stupid things we are dealing with right now.

There is also the serious stuff.

I’m not going there in this episode. Why? 

Because I have an excellent solution for all of us friends and listeners.

The Beach. Yes. The Beach. I’m Moraga. This is One-On-One. Communicate.

The One-On-One Podcast Transcript

Hi, I’m Gloria Moraga; I write about communication, politics, social issues, important things, food and family, and sometimes pop culture. Movies.

I just returned from a couple of days at the Beach.

How I Feel About The Beach

Zowie. As the Actor Joey Brown said in the movie “Some Like It Hot” when his character met Jack Lemon’sharacter.

Zowie!!!

The Beach is different from the Ocean. It is different from “The Sea,” but you can’t have one without the other.

It is a package deal. And it is fantastic.

And I feel alive.

My skin is tingling. Not just from too much sun.

My desire to create is higher Everest. I want to Live. Thrive. And Love.

I want everybody to feel this way.

Please. Go to the Beach.

Great Books About The Sea

Writers like Ernest Hemmingway  And his “Old Man and the Sea,” Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick,” and many others have already written about the Sea. So much more Brilliantly than I could ever write.

Link to some books about the Sea: (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/may/04/top10s.sea)

I have to be honest. I am afraid of the Sea. I am a little frightened when I’m on a boat or ship because the Sea has no respect for humankind.

Don’t mess with me, it seems to say, or I will swallow you up and never let you go.

The Beach is Kinder Than the Sea

The Beach is different. It is kind. And if it gets angry, you can retreat.

You don’t retreat when you are on the Ocean. You cannot escape an angry sea.

So what can I say? What can I write that hasn’t been written?

I can repeat what others have suggested. Go to the Beach.

And one of my favorite authors, John Steinbeck has brilliantly covered Monterey, California, in his writings.

So I cannot blog about that without feeling like I’m less than a great writer. And I think I’m great right now. I can do anything.  

John Steinbeck’s Monterey

I fell in love with John Steinbeck’s writings when I was ten. I read “Of Mice and Men” and cried and cried. Then Tortilla Flats. Then Grapes of Wrath. I read that one a lot.

And East of Eden. I hated the mother in that book. It helped me appreciate my mom more. And I was so happy to have a great mother.

Back to the Beach

Yes. I was in Monterey, California. Steinbeck Country.

Here is a list of the people on this trip.

1. Sister.
2. Niece,
3. Daughter,
4. Granddaughter, Aryah,
5. Grandson, Aiden.
6.  Nephew, Movie Buddy Joey,
7. Nephew, Movie Buddy-Reading Buddy Jarod,
8. GodChild, Niece Gillian,
9. Jeremy, Nephew,
10. Brianna, Niece,
11. And GiGillian’sest friend, aka boyfriend Neil.

We range in age, from the sixties to age five. 

The Beach Agenda

Here’s what we did.

Visited a little Beach.

I breathed.

I listened to the Ocean.

I watched children and young adults play. (Watch the video at the top of the page.)

A critically crucial hand-standing Contest quickly dissolved into a CartWheel Contest.

Handstands are difficult people.

My Beach Book – by Joan Didion

I read a little of  Joan Didion’s “Play It As It Lays,” but it is not an actual “beach book,” but I was easing into the vacation.

We walked on the Wharf. We ate a great dinner. (Pix) We all talked to each other.

Our table and the room were buzzing with laughter, intelligence, and love.

I sat next to Joey, Jeremy on one side and Gillian and Neil on my left. I am surrounded by intelligent young people in their 20’s

The future. I suppose my generation has made a mess of things. I hope they are going to clean it up. 

I haven’t seen or talked to Jeremy in years. We caught up a little.

I miss him. I miss so many of my nieces and nephews. I told him I missed him, and he said he had missed seeing me too.

We talked about food and drinks, school, and work. All the 20-year-olds made fun of me because I ordered “The Big Salad.”

“Had a great conversation with wonderful, intelligent, young, and older people.

We walked some more.

I smelled the ocean air.

I was exhausted.

I slept.

Day Two

We walked to the Beach.

We sat on the Beach.

I breathed. I listened to the waves.

I ate a great sandwich.

From a picnic lunch packed by two young women, I have known since the day they were born. I drank water.

My sister made tacos: chicken and beef. I ate. I read. I slept.

Skipping the Aquarium

Day three. I dropped the kids off at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and went to the Beach.

I relaxed.

I breathed.

I looked at the water and thought about nothing.

I fell in love with the water, the sand, the sky.

I people-watched.

I unexpectedly saw a man walk out of the blue-green water.

Aquaman! Zowie!

I watched as the spearfisherman emerged out of the rocky ocean water; he removed his mask and tossed his long, dark curly hair. He looked like a Greek God emerging from the Aegean Sea. Or the Sea of Crete if you want to head south.

A nearby sunbather called out,  “How’s fishing?”

“Felicia?” he called back.

“No. I’m nobody,” she replied.

Later, the Greek God walked back into the Sea. He returned later with several large fish on a line.

Holy shit, I thought. Greek-God is the man you want around if there is a Zombie Apocalypse.

Only In California 

I accidentally watched two women sunbathe, one went topless, and I quickly looked away and apologized.

No need to apologize, she replied.

That exchange is how I know I am in California. That exchange is why I love California.

She had nice breasts

Could that happen in Florida? No. No Way!

So go to the Beach, I say, to you dear friends.

But please do it right.

What’s right? You may ask. Okay. Let me tell you.

Gloria Moraga and Jarod Duncan. Movie and Book Buddies!

First, go with someone you love.

And talk to the people you love.

Me and the first Child I ever Loved. My niece.

Get caught up.

Two. Don’t do anything. Just go to the Beach and look at the Ocean.

Bring food. Bring drink.

Look at your loved ones.

Think about how big it is. And how small we are. Or better. Don’t think.

Just enjoy the waves. The Blue sky. The sound of the waves breaking on the shore.

The seagulls. The seals. The smell of fresh air.

Relax. Enjoy your life. It is so short.

Listen.

Shhhhhh.

Hear.

Sound of the Sea.

I should end the Podcast here.

So stop here if you want.

And go to the Beach.

But if you want facts. Please stick with me.

If you are a frequent listener, you know, I like to research.

The Research 

I’ve included links so you know I’m not making this up or stealing it.

I don’t steal. I’m a trained Journalist.

Quote:

Researchers at Washington University and UC Irvine asked over 1,000 beach visitors about their mental state before and after trips to the Ocean. Here is the link to this study. 

They found that beach trips reduce stress, increase creativity, and reduce feelings of depression and anxiety. And, trips to the Beach were overall restorative for our psychological well-being. Those who experienced more stress and fatigue in their daily life found the Beach the most reinvigorating.

According to the study, look for ideal beach conditions, mild temperatures, low tides, and sparse crowds are the best restoration conditions.

Researchers recommend going off-season.

Their work was confirmed in a more recent study of people living in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. A team of researchers from New Zealand and the U.S. found that people lucky enough to live in sight of water had lower levels of psychological stress.

Get the room with a view.

In an earlier paper, the same research team figured out why people are happier near the water: You are likely to be physically active, you likely run into people to chat with, and they are easier on the eyes and mind than, say, an Atlanta freeway at rush hour.

Of course, it is not always possible to visit the Beach. Some lab research has shown that just looking at images of seascapes can be calming, and even visiting a virtual beach can be good for the mind.

A 2017 study from researchers at the University of Plymouth showed that patients who went to the Beach using virtual reality headsets had much better experiences during dental visits. It wasn’t just that they were distracted by the beach trip but were less anxious and experienced less pain, too.

Lora Fleming of the University of Exeter in England says the idea that the Beach helps our health is well established.

As early as the 18^th-century, doctors prescribed trips to the Ocean.

Fleming notes, however, that scientists have only started looking at the Ocean’s health benefits experimentally in recent times.

1. Your Brain’s Prefrontal Cortex Is Activated

The prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain associated with emotion, self-reflection, and other functions, has been engaged when ocean sounds are played.

2. Ocean Waves Generate Negative Ions

The peaceful feeling we get at the Beach could result from molecular changes in our bodies. The Ocean’s waves produce negative ions. Negative ions accelerate our bodies’ ability to absorb oxygen. They also balance serotonin levels, a chemical produced by the body related to mood and stress.

This is why we sleep better near the Beach.

Enough of the research. Go to the Beach. And talk to each other One-On-One.

You will thank me for it. Love. Peace. Beach

Joseph Garcia took these three photos!