The numerous visits to the coast have finally paid off. Not only am I tanned – My Love calls it “sun kissed off-white”, I consider myself incredibly tanned-, but also am I cured from a long term fear that has held me back for years. Sandphobia. The fear of sand. Can you imagine: a marine sedimentologist who does not like sand?! Almost like a hydrophobic lifeguard…
Don’t get me wrong: I loved the beach in a morphological kind of way. The combined action of the sea, the land and the wind… Giving, taking… Ripples, barriers, dunes… Breathtaking. Yet: the sand grains- the actual building blocks of the beach- AARGH! The sole reason for becoming a geologist and not a physical geographer was sand. Sandstone is solid. Sand comes in grains. It gets in your drinks, between your teeth, in your eyes, hair and who knows what body cavities.
Anyway, I am kind off cured. I still don’t like sand, yet I have learned to deal with it in the past week. Cover your drink with a book. Always wear sunglasses. Rent a beach bed and a wind screen. Shower or swim when sand-covered. But most important: leave a set of dry, clean and sandless clothes in the car.
Solly as a Rock!!
Solveig van Mourik – van der Bruggen, Gemeenteraadslid in Breda namens de PvdA