Clarity

Playa de San Juan just outside of Alicante, Spain has to be one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen.  I've rented both an umbrella and a lounge chair, a bit of a splurge for my budget, but I don't care.  I need this little indulgence.

I see parents playing with their children in the white sand.  Families enjoying each other's company brings smiles to my heart.  Isn't this what summer is about? 

An elderly couple gets my attention.  He is walking with a cane through the sand.  Keeping his balance is difficult so he leans on his wife's shoulder for support.  She slows her pace so he can navigate the bumpy terrain without falling.  This simple act, a couple working to help each other, brings clarity.  This is what I want.

I come to this beach for three days in a row.   I watch the families, the elderly, the lovers and I see myself in all of them.  Or more specifically I see my present and my future.

Each night in Alicante I visit two places.  The first cafe I go to is Casa de Jamon.  I sit outside and watch the sun go down over the Castille Santa Barbara.  I love watching how the sun shades the side of the mountain.  Mixed with the car lights just coming on are like twinkling little stars. 

Around 9:00 I visit Taberna Segura.  I found this place my first night in Alicante.  This small little restaurant just opened and the owner/chef has treated me like family.  I chat with Lola a regular who comes in for a coffee before she goes to work at a private club.  I want to ask her if she is a madame, but think that would be impolite so I don't.

This is the first place during this journey where I can see myself living here.  Small city, near the sea, calm and peaceful. 

It is also the place where I've decided that I will go home after Majorca next week.  It is time.  That is where I want to be.  Home is where I belong. 

That is what this journey is about...finding where I belong.