For as long as I can live

Expressing gratitude and joy, during summer days of 2019 on the coastline of Portugal, in Ericeira.

For as long as I can live, I wish to stand up for a moment
and feel the warmth of the morning sun comfort my back.

I wish to feel the thick tickling sand underneath my bare feet
while I head down to an empty beach.

And I wish to sit there, quietly, and observe all the shades
of blues and greys melt between the Ocean and the Sky each day.

For as long as I can live, I wish to embrace the cold hugs from this foggy sky,
always showing up unexpectedly, to maybe stop time for just a moment.

I wish to find a sense of quiet within, while the powerful
Northern winds blow all around me, reminding me of how small I am in this world.

For as long as I can live, I wish to feel the salty water burn my eyes when I’m paddling out with a strong breeze, for it means that maybe today I’ll catch a wave.

I wish to feel, underneath my bare feet, the slippery reef when I’m about to lose balance walking back to the shore, for it means I was lucky to spend time in the sea.

For as long as I can live, I wish to see the swallows play hide & seek
within the heights of the cliffs.

I wish to smell the perfume of pine and eucalyptus while walking through the dry fields.

And I wish to hear their branches whistle and their leaves sing to the wind,
all in an unexplainable, peaceful harmony.

For as long as I can live, I will welcome the sharpness of the cold when dusk falls,
for it reminds me of the eternal wilderness of this place.

I will lookout for the moon at night, as a reminder of the other life that lies within us.

And I will dance with the crickets and the fireflies, for their small beings sparkle
a joy that is simply contagious.

For as long as I can live, I wish to express joy when surfing a wave with the people I get to spend a moment of my life with, acknowledging how much the present moment matters.

I wish to welcome the ones who are just discovering this magical place, for they also may be on an inner journey towards their own self and they might need a sign
to let them know they too, have arrived at the right place.

For as long as I can live, I wish to learn from those who decided
to share their wonderful gift to the world, here, and now.

For as long as I can live, I wish to laugh, connect and exchange with the people who also fell in love with these surroundings and worked so hard to call it Home.

I wish to care for others the same way others care about me.

All of this because, at a certain point in my life, I walked away from this place.
Yet it never stopped calling me back.
I am back here, now, and my heart is whole again, healed.
It tells me, simply, that it has arrived again home.
That I have come Home.

All of this, and I have tears of joy while writing these words.
Because for as long as I can breathe, I wish to be present,
I wish to love, simply, grateful for all the magic that comes into my life.

Thank you for reading.

Lucie