Dirt in between my fingers, under my nails, sinking into the cracks of my knees. Dirt smeared across my face as I mindlessly swipe at the sweat trickling down my temple. Ants crawl under the shade of my outstretched leg, and I welcome them. Look up at the sky, squinting under the ferocity of the sun as it tries to will me back indoors. But I do not flinch away from her loving heat, I stay there, in my garden, tending to the little plants that I bought from a big box store. I may not have had the blessing of growing them from seed, watching the tender heads breach soil and seek the life-giving sun, but I love them as though they are my own young. I love long walks on the beach, and yes, I truly do. As the mist from breaking waves comes to kiss my boots, I gaze wistfully along the coast the extends ahead of me. Be sure to sidestep the kelp that washes ashore in thick, heavy clumps; it will feed some creature who I will never see, but who I will think of fondly. See the brants as they clumsily traipse over snow-covered sand; appreciate the solid ground with them as they rest after a miles long journey. Watch the sandpipers play tag with the icy waves, searching for the smallest morsels of food to get them through the winter. Smell the salty decay of fish that is carried by the freezing wind and don’t be put off by it, it is only natural. Hear the laughing gulls screech at the hilarity of a world unknown to us but loved by us just as much as them. A world that cares for them, and us, and everyone else.