A while back, I knew my travels would take me near the Newburyport area of Massachusetts.  I decided to make plans to be on Plum Island for sunrise, as I usually don’t get to this area at that hour of the day. 

Due to the length of Plum Island, I knew I had several spots to choose from to capture the sunrise.  Some research, planning, and decisions have been made.  I felt good about this upcoming photo opportunity.  

Opportunity……. a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.  My circumstances changed when the remains of a tropical storm evolved into a Nor’easter, moving up the East Coast of North America.  There would be no sunrise photos on this trip.  

I would still be in the area due to other life events.  I still went to Plum Island, but the cloud cover was such that there wasn’t much of a change in the light when my watch marked the moment of sunrise; it felt like someone was slowly turning a dimming switch.  Instead, the winds carried the cold falling rain sideways.  Not a warm and fuzzy place to be.  There were two other witnesses to this weather, a dog and its companion out for a morning walk.  

Off in the distance across the channel, I could see the headlights of a parked vehicle. I could picture its occupants watching the waves from the warmth of that vehicle. 

As for me, I made my way down to the shoreline, listening to the sound of the raindrops bouncing off my raincoat.  The wind was playing with the hood of my raincoat.  Not the worst weather I have been in, but still uncomfortable.  

I watched the waves for a bit.  It is moments like these that I carry with me through life, moments that can make us stronger, and more willing to face adversity.  Moments like this, being beaten by a cold, wet wind, make the warm summer days all that much better.   

I took a few photos before returning to my vehicle. Leaving not with the pictures I had planned, but leaving with photos I was happy to have taken.