A sandbar is a curious thing — part land, part water, and, in the afternoon light, almost mirage-like in the way it shimmers near the horizon. 

Beachcombers use it to search  for shells. Gulls land on it to look for food. Sunbathers lie flat on the soft sand, refreshed by its coolness. 

I waded through still water to reach it, too, because it looked like a new way to experience the beach. I ignored the minnows and the seaweed, both of which remind me why I’m more of a pool swimmer.  

But it was worth it. Out there I felt even more a part of the wind and the waves and the sea.