Does the Beach Inspire Trust in Humankind?
I just came back from the beach after a four day “Girls’ Weekend with my daughter, mother-in-law and sister-in-law. We laughed, we ate, we played Parcheesi, we sunburned (well, two of us did) and I gathered material for this blog.
The beach is a fabulous place to watch people and glean the fields of humanity. I love going to the beach – I always learn something about other people and about myself. I suppose that’s true of anytime you go somewhere out of your normal life routine – but the beach seems especially rich to me.
So – today’s thought.
I was struck by the level of trust we automatically give complete strangers at the beach. We go out on the beach, stake our “spot” and leave our bags, books, belongings there for the day. Nobody stays behind to watch the bags while everyone else goes to play in the waves. We’re in and we’re out all day long. Same way at the pool. Why is that? We’d never leave our stuff at a table in the food court at the Mall, and even at buffet restaurants we either leave someone at the table to watch the purses or all the women traipse off with their bags thrown over their shoulders.
Is this just a southern thing or is any beach a universal “safe” spot? I wonder – what creates a community of trust among strangers?
What do I do to inspire trust in others?
I always keep my keys with me, but there is an unspoken level of trust at the beach. (And if anyone is that desperate, they can have my ratty beach towel.)
I would NEVER do that on a Northern beach. But, if for some reason, I bring my wallet, I always stick it in my sneakers. Because a thief would never think of looking there, right?
I love Southern beaches. They're remarkably free of medical waste, mob hits, and "harbor trout" (which aren't fish).
There ARE jellyfish, though.