Like Ships in the Night

Here in Wilmington, NC, I have taken to walking along the beach late at night. I know that trudging through the surf, by myself, at 11 pm is maybe just a little emo, but it truly is glorious being out there then. It's also quite dark. Yeah, I know, it's night, of course it's dark. But if you're in the city at night and walking down the street, there are street lamps every now and then, and parking lots and buildings and whatever else. But on the sand....half the world is ocean, which is totally dark, and the rest, if you're in the right place, are darkened condos and the like.

Point is, it's pretty dark out there. The stars and sliver of moon behind the haze of light clouds make it, if not quite erie, then at least a bit mysterious. I don't know what the mystery is, you could take your pick, I'm sure: what kind of shell is this? how old was that girl/woman who just walked past me? does anyone ever get mugged on the beach in the middle of the night? do two strangers ever meet on the beach in the middle of the night and sneak off behind the dunes? could that happen to me? are there sharks out there? what would I do if a tidal wave hit, besides die? why are we here? etc.

It's also cooler than in the day, and there are very few people. Other eccentric walkers like myself, no doubt. And I wonder who they are. The beach is a very easy place to slip into judging people. Everyone's nearly naked. There's the dumb jock, the apish IT guy, the crazy foreigners, the vapid supermodels...but of course all of that is nonsense. You have no idea. Still, it's different during the day. But at night, you pass someone, and as I alluded to earlier, it's dark. You haven't the fainest clue who they are. You could probably walk by your best friend and miss each other. Makes you wonder how much else you miss. Who are these other souls, out walking the beach in the middle of the night by themselves? What would they say if I said hi? It's a useful kind of solitude...refreshing. Pure. A little crazy, maybe. But in some ways, that solitude is just another kind of connection--a connection to the other people like me, perhaps, passing each other like ships in the night.