We have been hiding from the virus for a year now, and winter has kept us holed up inside for months. But an unseasonably mild day in February provides good reason to venture to the beach in our coats and sneakers. We lay on our backs and make angels in the sand. Our pale faces warm in the sun, as we squint at feathery clouds shuffling along in a bright blue sky. Waves crash in their endless push toward the shore. And the gulls call out, as they always have, reminding us that we are here, that we are alive.
Sarah Crawford lives in Maryland with her husband and two sons, with whom she goes to the beach from time to time.