There is a certain relaxation that comes with sitting and watching the ocean do its work. A calm knowingness that this photo, taken during the early morning hours at Harding’s Beach in Cape Cod, brings to mind as a viewer’s eyes sweep out with the waves and then catch the curve of them already rolling back in.

The feeling that washes over you as your brain settles into harmony with the environment around you, is one that keeps people coming back for more. It’s the same feeling you get when you’ve hiked a rough trail and then suddenly the trees open to a stunning view. The silent comradery of sitting around a campfire on a cool fall evening, with words an unnecessary adage. A feeling we strive for, but so often can’t describe. A sweet spot of true relaxation and mental restoration.

It’s that feeling of having nothing else to do but sit with your thoughts while they ping around your mind, even as the water keeps a rhythmic pace in the background. Then finally your brain gives in to the moment’s calm certainty and you are allowed to just exist.

When we have those moments we tuck them away, save them to be drawn on later and remembered. We work to recreate them and feel them again because our words don’t fit to describe them. What is it that helps us bring back that feeling? What puts us back in that time and place? That’s what this photo was destined to do, give us a sweet reminder of the times we have been able to just sit, watch, and be; no extra words needed.