Walking on the beach at sunset is an experience that lingers in the back of your mind long after the scent of the salt air has been replaced by the exhaust fumes of the city, long after the last grains of sand have been washed away from your clothes.
The memory of the warm sun on your face as it sinks into the distant horizon, the gentle touch of the sea breeze, the sounds of the relentlessly pounding surf and the cry of the gulls as they wing their way to their night's resting place, the sharp, biting cold of the waves on your feet, the firm sand underfoot giving way to the gentle persuasion of the lapping waves, letting you sink ever deeper as it seems you could stand there forever, taking in the beauty and serenity with every sense...
Then with resignation to the inevitable,
you take a deep breath and sigh a deeper sigh,
and turn your face toward home.