I sail towards June with my hopes running high, even if my energy is low. I will depend on the power of the wind to guide me into the summer, into relaxation, rest, and rejuvenation. My husband and I celebrate the first days of June with a road trip that lands us at the ocean’s edge. A three-hour drive north, and we arrive in Newport, Rhode Island. We have been here many times, and it has become our custom to start the summer here just before school ends for me. This trip buoys me towards my final few weeks of school. I take the sun, salt, sea and sails back with me, which allows me to end the year on a high note. This trip ensures that both my mind and body will become shipshape for the summer ahead. It reminds me of what is most important – self-care. These few days by the sea are important part of my school life. I need these days, I long for these days, I use these days to ready myself for a summer filled with travel, reading, art, and self-reflection.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 
Joanne,
I’ve only been to Newport, RI once and loved it. I wish we’d had more time there. Your poem and photos have me longing to return. I wish we lived closer to the ocean. It’s a long way to the Oregon coast, 9 hours to Portland and another hour to the ocean. I read something Adam Grant said about being near water and how healing it is. No wonder we gravitate toward it. I often think of Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach” opening lines: “The sea is calm tonight.” That line calms.
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What a beautiful place! I am so glad you shared these photos. I miss living closer to the ocean, though I freely admit that when I did, I rarely went. Nothing is so restorative as being near the water, I find. What a lovely tradition to end the year with a short trip to energize you for the last days of school.
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Your writing made it easy to visualize the sea, shore and the calm renewal it gave. The photos are wonderful. May the good feelings you brought home buoy you through these final weeks. Almost there!
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I love the threads of metaphor, the sea, the ship, the sails spiriting you toward a buoyant end-of-year. My son attended URI; we have so many memories of Newport (where he got his first tattoo, for example ocean wave +sunset, no surprise.) Fitting benediction from Lucille Clifton:
“…open your eyes to water
water waving forever
and may you in your innocence
sail through this to that”
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Oh, I would love a trip to the beach! I live near the Gulf coast, but to get to an actual beach is a long drive east to Florida. What a wonderful way to relax before finishing the school year.
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I love that you take this annual trip before the end of the year to help you prepare for that final push. What a great idea! I love the ocean and am thankful to live only about 45 minutes away from fabulous beaches. I think a day wandering and cleansing sounds perfect right now. Your poem and photos say it all!
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Joanne, what a special pre-summer trip. I love that you take it regularly, and it prepares you for summer. Here’s to continued self-care! I love “The sea is my worthy companion” and those photos! Lovely!
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