Transforming Belgian Coast
I would like to share the memory of the trip I made to the Belgium Coast. I have a few nice photos and stories left from the day spent in De Haan. It was my first after almost 2 years of living in Belgium, due partly to my creative laziness and corona. My reason for sharing is the same one of a flower just blooming where the human eye or touch has not been reached.
boring coast
I stepped into this cold, gray, lifeless place. Initially, I was a bit disappointed to be honest. After I got the feeling of the environment, I started to like walking barefoot.
We stopped in a restaurant to have some burgers. En met frietjes, tuurlijk. It was like nature heard people crying and whining. Even though it was a bit shy but sun slowly showed its face behind the clouds.
fun coast
I was in the water till my knees. Waves were doing their thing, and my mind its own. For a moment, it was just me and the sound of waves. Beautiful. I was on the top of the earth. A huge rotating, and moving piece of earth. That amount of water. How small was I? How unprotected, how weak, how helpless was I? The more aggressive the waves got, the calmer I got.
Earlier in the morning, I was told that there was a daily tide, which could be observed. I believed but just as a fact. Why not see in action? We decided to wait and see how water claims its space once again. I started to draw lines as a target for water. One after another, while dogs were catching their thrown balls, the sea was catching my drawn lines. Again and again. It was mesmerising. I could compete in happiness with some of those randomly running around dogs on the beach.
Water persistently made its way as we retreated. Our castle was the only thing left at the back of the line, not yet attacked. I stood by the art, shamefully accepting smiles and nice words for something I would not be able to build.
I waited hours for nature to reach and swallow in seconds what human beings built in hours. Like watching a baby being born and an old person dying in a day instead of a lifetime. Nature was about to claim what is hers. Some dogs and other human creatures were stopped by their owners not to ruin the art but nobody was going to be able to do the same for the sea. The waves slowly but steadily were coming.
Right before the waves swallowed the art, a small human being attacked it before anybody could stop him. It was suicide. I would like to see that nature takes away what it gave. But sometimes others do not let that happen.
You can not kill me, I will kill myself.
Those would be the last sentences of the boy if he only was able to talk.
The art was destroyed eventually. Even though the result was the same, the reactions from people weren’t the same. Isn’t that interesting? On one side, it was nature taking it away. On another side, it was a human being. How is that different? Was it about timing? Was it about expectation? Was it about surprise? What is that causing people reacting differently to the exact same thing?
There was almost no sun to set that we human beings could lazily enjoy but there was something else. Another wonderful show. Nature had yet another trick in her pocket for us, as wonderful as any other of hers.
My selfish disappointment ended with amazed gratitude. It was a nice day spent, it was a day lived. Thank you for all that you have offered.