Who Would Have Thought?

A Walk To Remember

Photo by You Le on Unsplash

We had our Christmas get-together Tuesday evening. So when my daughter and her husband asked if I wanted to go to the coast with them Wednesday morning, I said sure. We live about 45 minutes away, and nothing else was planned. The beach is my special place, so why not? However, I was in for a surprise; this would not be our typical walk.

You might have read or heard about the end of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf falling into the Pacific Ocean on Monday. It collapsed during a $4 million project to repair damage from previous storms. Massive waves said to be 60 feet tall, hit the area and demolished a 150-foot section of the wharf, which included a public restroom. The Wharf will remain closed indefinitely until the city and engineers complete a full damage assessment.

Debris washed up on nearby beaches, as far as nine miles away. Three workers were on-site; two were rescued, and the other made it to shore safely on his own, but a fourth man was found dead under the debris on the beach,

Back to the walk. We went to one of my favorite places, the Walton LightHouse, which is about two miles south of the wharf. My family has no direct connection to it, but I’ve been there many times and have many fond memories. So, I was looking forward to going there.

Usually, we walk on the beach next to the lighthouse, admiring the ocean's beauty and feeling its peacefulness. Not this time, though. The beach was littered with debris from the wharf: steel beams, slabs of flooring, barnacled posts, and even a boat.

When we walked further, we found the public restroom lodged on a river bank between the wharf and the lighthouse.

Afterward, we sat on a bench overlooking the ocean and had a picnic lunch. The weather was beautiful for a while: the waves were a few feet high, the sun was shining, the water was sparkling, and all was well with the world - again.

At the time, I was struck by the calamity the weather caused on Monday, the absolute beauty it caused on Wednesday, and the enormous power of the sea. But I also wondered if it was a metaphor for life, somehow.

P. S. My holidays were lovely—and no, it wasn’t the same. I added new traditions and revised some old ones. I guess that’s how it goes.

Are you enjoying the holiday season—whatever it may be—or will you be glad when it is over?

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Janice Walton is a psychologist, widow, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and writer. Her book Aging Well: 30 Lessons for Making the Most of Your Later Years is available on Amazon, and she has written articles for Substack for four years.