There is no better place (in my opinion of course)  to reflect and rest the mind than the beach.  I have single handedly solved many of life's pressing questions and problems like global warming, health care reform, how to raise my 18 year old daughter and where I left my keys on wonderful long walks along the Oregon Coast.    Usually on my walk I'll also have one of my little dogs in tow.  On such a day as this of course there is a slightly warm breeze (oh wait... this is Oregon... ok, there is a wall of sandy wind pelting my cheeks), and you can see all the way to Japan (or is that a wall of clouds???)... well, whatever the weather is doing, is there ever REALLY a bad day at the beach?  Nope....  it's always a scenic and serene spot for the weary of mind and body.  So anyway, back to my story... I'm on such a walk as this with the wonderful slighty warm breeze, blue sky, screech of occasional seagull and confident prance of my 5 lb. chihuhua.  All is right with my world, the nagging of life's weightier issues are being solved with each step I take.  I feel centered and at peace.  Until that is, I realize that somewhere in my day dreaming and mind bending, my precious puppy has acquired a disgusting piece of trash that she is prancing along with in her mouth like a prize.  I'm a collector at the beach and love to fill my pocket's with shells and rocks tossed along the shoreline like treasures to be found.  Seeing this rotting trash in my darling Lolita's mouth (who had just given me a loving little lick on the chin a few minutes before) made me feel sick....

 

We were recently on a trip to Florida. I had never been there and was really looking forward to seeing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.  I was appalled at the huge amounts of trash, dirty diapers and water bottles littered for miles along the coastline.  In fact I was feeling quite smug and prideful of our Oregonians who would never stand for such disrespectful treatment of one of it's natural resources.  On that one  particular day at the beach with my dog, I was reminded of how important our beaches are to us... some of our best family memories have taken place in Pacific City where we watched the kids climb the dunes and skim board along the shore.  We count on it being a clean safe place to run and play.   That takes work and cooperation.  This year is the 25th annual SOLV Great Oregon Spring Beach Cleanup.  Mark your calendars for March 20th and join in at over 40 beach sites to clear the entire Oregon Coast of debris.  We are all stewards of this great planet.  Visit SOLV.ORG to sign up.