172 – Soft

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

The sand here is very fine, so walking across the dry sand to the waterline feels soft on my feet – yet grainy when rubbing it between my fingers. Maybe the fineness influences how well it creates the hard, packed surface along the waterline that I like.

Looking up, the sky is very blue. Most of the clouds are light wisps with gentle curves. Simply beautiful steaks of nature’s paint on its canvas of blue. I stop to do a 360 to notice only a few thick, fluffy clouds appearing as a collection of cotton balls. Whether wispy or fluffy, clouds have a soft look.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Soft is my word for this walk. Soft isn’t hard or firm to our touch. Soft is supple, squishy, pliable, resilient, malleable, and more. Sometimes the sand can be too soft as in mushy and sloppy like quicksand – but still soft.

My eyes return to the sky, and then imagine yesterday’s cloudy day and the cloud-filled dark skies of approaching storms. They still have a way of looking soft, but most of us look at those clouds as different. Then again, the clouds have a way of softening the sun’s intensity. However, we know descending through the clouds in a plane is bumpy, which doesn’t signal softness.

I write this essay during winter – a time of snow at home – and even more for those further north. Home is where I have spent the most winters – so I’ve experienced my share of snow. Seeing big flakes falling straight to the ground as new snow looks soft. So is seeing snow cling to the tree limbs. So is looking at the backyard of smooth white without footprints or tracks.

During winter at home, I love the soft feel of fleece tops and flannel bed sheets. Soft is also a cozy blanket and a pillow.

Soft is velvet, hair, wool, cotton candy, bubbles, cotton balls, lotion, cream pie, mousse, ducklings, and chicks. Soft is soft margarine and the feel of freshly washed and dried clothes.

Soft is a child’s stuffed animal, stoles, shawls, coats, bunnies, and the lucky rabbit’s foot – a baby’s skin, marshmallows, soft-serve ice cream, and a gentle breeze.

Photo by Wilson Vitorino on Pexels.com

Soft is the fur of a lap cat with its inviting belly to rub. Soft is also fuzzy dogs walked by my neighbors at home.

Soft is not bright, intense, loud, glaring, or harsh. Soft is subtle and easy to mold. I think of soft in the world of music – the soft touch of a skilled pianist – the soft dynamics of piano and mezzo-piano – either as a decrescendo or a sudden subito. Soft for shaping the music to add drama and feeling.

Soft is the night with a loved one – a soft glow of candlelight and the soft elegance of Pinot Noir or Barolo. The joining of hands to dance a soft waltz – followed by soft lips touching.

Soft is the slow, gentle kiss on the lips. One that is easy yet stops time. Soft is the touch of a hand across a lover’s face, the caresses of love, fingers running through the hair, the petals of a rose – and the time of soft passion.

Soft is the sound of a wave after a thunderous clap – the soft sound quickly dissipates for one to hear the gentle movement as it approaches the feet. Soft enough to hear small bubbles popping and the tinkling of shells caused by the retreating water.

Soft is the feathers of the birds that I see, but they won’t let me touch them to confirm. Because soft is pleasant to touch, I chuckle at how we feel fabric with our fingers before buying – but are the buyers feeling for softness, quality, or both?

I don’t imagine the creatures of the sea as soft because I sense scaly and hard. But to me, a sea anemone has an impression of being soft – but I’m not touching one to find out.

Photo by Johnny Mckane on Pexels.com

Soft is more than a texture. Soft is the innocence of a newborn, the whisper in the library, or voices making sure not to awaken a sleeping baby. Soft is also the quiet and hush of glowing embers of a once-roaring fire. Soft light can be dim, low, subdued, and mellow. Maybe subtle is a fitting descriptor.

Soft is the feeling of water flowing across my feet, but that is not the same soft water many of us relate to hardness: the number of minerals present.

Obviously, soft is many things in life. As I end this walk, I look to the sky to see it is relatively unchanged since I started two hours ago – soft wispy clouds with a gathering of soft, white, fluffy clouds gathered over the land. The soft clouds in the air, the soft sand on my feet, and the soft breeze on my face are a wonderful combination. No wonder I like to walk on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

See what other bloggers have posted about Soft

• Soft Overcomes Hard (a poem)
• Softness (an essay)
• Softness – Naturally (photos by a visitor here)
• Softness is not a Weakness (a poem)
• Speak Gentle Softness (a winter haiku)
• Soft Kitty (a poem and photos)

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