The Calming Beach

Viewing a three-panel painting of a local beach on the Gulf of Mexico, with sand dunes on both sides and a narrow path leading to a clearing to the water, I realize how at peace I am from just picturing myself walking on the beach. When hearing the waves splash upon the shore, the birds diving for their meal or the little sand crabs scurrying to return back into their sand tunnel, the beach calms me no matter how bad the day to day grind of everyday life can become. The realism of this painting stirs something inside me that brings me back to what seems like a former life.
When I look into this painting, I remember a time not so long ago when I was so depressed and agitated with what had transpired throughout the day, that I needed a walk on the beach. When I was in the military, my unit commander had earlier in the day just given me a verbal reprimand. I was a squadron mobility Noncommissioned Officer in charge of processing cargo for deployments. We had bee...