The Majesty of the Marsh

 The Majesty of the Marsh

         There is renewal found in the ebb and flow of the marshlands. The sensory experiences remind me of my childhood. They bring back sweet memories of clams dug from black Pamlico mud, shrimping and setting nets with my Pop, the slap of the boat paddle on the water, and mosquitoes as big as dragonflies. The beauty and importance of the marsh is often underestimated. 

    Today, I stood and looked over the marsh and toward the sea and I felt the strong arms of life and promise embrace me like an old friend. The briny mud of the marsh holds so much meaning for so many. The brackish estuaries provide nourishment, hope, and cleansing for many Eastern North Carolina families. My roots are here and they run deep, from Ocracoke to Goose Creek Island. 

    I smelled the pungent salt air and closed my eyes. I drifted back to my childhood; to a flat bottom boat skimming across the waters of the Pamlico Sound. Back to a time when there was the laughter of  cousins, softball, peanut butter, strawberries, and hunks of cheese inside of Grandma Popperwill's homemade cat-head biscuits.  It's astounding that the smell of mud can evoke such emotion and pride in one's heritage. 

    I recalled the sounds of the island and the people there. People whom I love; my family. The cry of the long legged birds of the marsh, the squish of toes in the mud, the cracking of oyster shells in soggy driveways, and the thick brogue of the islands. This is the language of a people rich in love of family, heritage, and the water. It's a link to history; our history. 

    As I stood and looked over the marsh, I could see the ocean in the distance and felt the pull of the place I love so deeply. Home. The Inner and Outer Banks are unmatched in beauty and entrenched in history and lore. Today, I was reminded that being "of this place" is a gift to be treasured. 

    

    *The German philosopher, Martin Heideggar, proposed that we are in a state of being within the place we are born. Heideggar surmised that the way things appear to us and how we interpret experiences is a direct reflection of "our place" in the world. The study of what Heideggar called phenomenology is interesting to say the least. 

    **From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Phenomenology is a way of thinking about ourselves. Instead of asking about what we really are, it focuses on phenomena. These are experiences that we get from the senses - what we see, taste, smell, touch, hear, and feel.