As I wake up in the morning I am greeted by the glow of the sun coming up over the harbor. The full moon is still sliding slowly into the western sky off toward Pensacola. It’s pretty magnificent to be blessed enough to wake up here. It’s a place that fills my soul! Destin Harbor. Boaters love it for its protection. Beachgoers love it for its turquoise water. I love for the spell it casts every time I am here.
There is a difference between the mountains and the seashore. It’s perspective. The mountains have their own majesty and a great deal of mystery. What lies over the next ridge? How steep is the slope into the valley below? What is that bird singing in the distance? What type of flower is pushing up between those rocks? How was that formation created and over how many years? These are all or the questions that occupied our days in the Ozarks. Gazing out over the Gulf this morning begs a whole different set of concerns.
The wide open vista of the Gulf stretches out before me. The early morning action of the harbor begins to hum below. From where I sit I can count dozens of fishing vessels catching baitfish just off the jetty, my mind is imagining what they each hope to catch today, how far they plan to go. The muffled roar of the head boats start up. Maybe today is some eight year old’s first time to go fishing with his dad. The bridge that separates the bay from the gulf is buzzing with traffic. Who’s going where? Off to work or off to play? Who’s renting that pontoon on the dock next door? How busy will they be today? Far off in the distance there might be dolphin jumping or a kite in the air. It all occupies my coffee time and intrigues me.
If the past few weeks have taught me anything it is that I am a horizon girl. I need to see what’s ahead, need the expanse that offers openness. The mountains are magnificent! Some people will never leave them. As for me, the sun rising or setting over the water, be it bayou, beach or bay, is part of what makes me whole. I can appreciate my time in the mountains and be filled by a trip to a big city, but in the end, the horizon calls me home. God had a plan for my life. He sent me to the Gulf Coast. No matter how far I roam, over land or by sea when I return to Destin Harbor I am complete!
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