169 – Layers

Click the video above for 2 minutes of background waves while reading.

I like to walk on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

As I walk across the sand toward the waterline, I wonder about the sand’s depth. I’m sure someone knows, but I also imagine science has designated layers or zones of the sand. Each layer has its characteristics and conditions. After all, sand is a type of soil, and I know soil has designated layers.

I don’t know what sparked the question in my mind. Maybe it was last night’s lasagna dinner. Maybe that’s the clue that I need for today’s topic.

Photo by Ioan Bilac on Pexels.com

Layers are a coating, sheet, film, coat, zone, or stratum. Earth has layers: a crust, mantle, and multiple cores – each unique in composition.

As the water from a wave washes ashore and then back to the sea, I watch the next incoming wave, which seems to form a layer over the outgoing water. Yet, I can simultaneously feel the water from the incoming wave wash over my feet while the outgoing water removes the sand below my feet.

I look at the sea knowing it has layers based on depth and temperature. Glancing up at the sky, I think about the layers of the atmosphere, such as the troposphere, stratosphere, and ionosphere.

The day is cloudy. A thick layer of gray is blocking the sun, but the clouds are not enough to hide all the blue sky and white clouds, so I imagine the sun will appear sometime today. I notice the layers in the clouds: a layer of light gray and a layer of blue sky with patches of white clouds signifying another layer. My eyes shift to the horizon to find a deeper blue layer and a thick gathering of dark gray.

My eyes suddenly shift to the shells realizing their beautiful, natural designs and creations are layers of calcium carbonate made by a living thing.

I think about my science teaching days of examining cross and longitudinal cuts to illustrate and examine structures and layers.

I think about the layers of my skin with the newest skin cells lying well below the surface – and after doing their duty, flaking off my body into the environment. Let us not forget layers as tree rings visually marking annual growth or slicing a seed to see its different layers.

Photo by Abby Kihano on Pexels.com

My science background shifts me to stratified rock formed by layers of sediment building up over time into visible layers. We can see different rock layers at the Grand Canyon or mountains cut by humans during road construction.

Archeologists have discovered ancient cities built as layers, so workers carefully uncover the remnants of the past. However, we know when it is time to clean when we notice a layer of dust in certain areas. On the positive side, many enjoy the layered petals of a rose because they touch the heart. Yet, its layers also provide complexity and intrigue.

I think about aspects of different layers in our lives. On days of varying temperatures, we dress in layers to allow the removal and addition of clothing based on changing conditions.

I think about layered food as lasagna that started this drivel – now add flakey filo bread, layers of an onion, artichokes, heads of lettuce and cabbage, and layered salads. We enjoy a stack of pancakes, parfaits of layered fresh fruit topped with whipped cream, Oreo cookies, tacos, and a multitude of sandwiches. Ever had a layered drink of specially selected liqueurs that will stay separated because of their density?

Let us not forget a cake with a layer of frosting on top and even something in the middle. I recall a cake my mother would make every few years: alternating layers of chocolate cake and fresh whipped cream – a cake that had to be refrigerated but tasted wonderfully even when served cold.

Photo by Ruslan Khmelevsky on Pexels.com

I think about a symphony orchestra with its many instruments working together to create music – beautiful tones woven together as layers of sounds as melody, harmony, rhythms, and accompaniment.

As I walk toward my building, I chuckle when I see it and others as a series of layers we call stories or floors. After all, I will soon enter the elevator and press the number of my floor.

Thinking about layers on this walk has been enjoyable, but I’m confident that I’ve only scratched the surface of this topic. Maybe another one will appear in the future. However, thinking and then transcribing thoughts into written words is a good mental exercise. Besides, I enjoy walking on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

See what other bloggers have posted about Layers

• Layers & Textures: The Unfolding (a photo essay)
• Layer by Layer (a poem)
• Layer Filled Zinia (a photo)
• Layers (a poem by an occasional visitor here)
• Layers to the Mountain Top (a photo)

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