ROCK, SAND AND SEA: MY ADVENTURE AT TARKWA BAY

With every spray of salty water, every thump from underneath the boat signaling the choppy nature of the sea around us, I was glad I had made this trip. I am a firm believer in the quote “The closer you are to death, the more alive you feel”. There I was seated on a speed boat, on my way to an Island/beach, conscious with every bounce that I have still failed to acquire the essential life skill called swimming but I loved every moment. Unlike my close friend who was sitting right in front me who seemed ready to cry out – confessing all his sins and asking the good Lord for forgiveness if the boat gave the slightest hint of debarking us before our time.

Not to worry though, we eventually hit calmer waters and our eyes jumped at the sight of the beach front. Land! So with a bit of trepidation and a splash of excitement we disembarked from our boat into the waters of Tarkwa Bay and the open smiles of people, some we knew, the rest we would get acquainted with.

For everyone’s sake, this isn’t one of those stories where I mindlessly described every little thing that happened to me, I will skip the awful boring detail. This is actually a story of discovering something beautiful, appreciating the wonders that exist in the world and understanding that beauty isn’t a lifetime away or a million miles away, it’s just there right next to you, but only if you choose to find it.

The highlight of my trip and the reason for this “rant”/article, has to be hopping hobbit style (consumed by curiosity and adventure, I had unintentionally turned myself into Frodo by forgetting my slippers) to a red miniature lighthouse looking thing set at the end of a rocky pier. Whilst everyone was eating and laughing and generally having fun I noticed two members of the pack weren’t present.

After searching and scanning for God knows how long, my eyes stumbled upon two female figures on the above described rocky pier which previously I had paid absolutely no attention to. Walking trance-like at first towards them, it suddenly dawned on me they had found something amazing. So moving faster now (my friends later confirmed I seemed like a crazed rock hopping person) I fought to catch up. It wasn’t an easy fit by any chance and although against my masculinity I must admit there was a point I said to myself “No further, unless you want to end up as a story in the Newspapers”, but in life you live for these moments, the heightened ones that take your breath away even if you stand a risk of getting hurt. When I finally got to the end it was justified.

Looking far out to sea, you could see the massive cargo ships all lined up like chess pieces, the ocean their board. Every once in a while one would steam by – you never really appreciate their size till one of them cruises right by you in all its majesty and steel. The moments I spent on the beach and especially on those rocks were absolutely beautiful. You know that feeling when you’ve stumbled on something, something you’ve always wanted, but never knew how to get. Something you hadn’t searched for but you found. Providence. With every gentle throb from underneath my still aching feet, what had seemed a couple of rocks ago as an unwise and unquestionably unsafe decision seemed God sent. How could I have thought of not going any further?

In life, you’ll have very few moments where your being, mind and the world come together as one, like a perfect meshing of gears, a complete symmetry. Take time to allow yourself feel peace, to allow all your problems dissolve beyond the horizon where sea and sky touch.

On our way back home, with the sky turning red with a streak of purple here and there, as we belted out the lyrics to every song, I smiled to myself. Glad that I had taken every risk I could have taken. Glad for the memories that would be mine from now till eternity, and most especially glad that I had these amazing people around me to share it with because…

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