This last week of February was an opportunity for me to take a few days of vacation as a couple. I discovered with pleasure the wonders of the Arcachon Basin. On Wednesday, we set off on foot under the pines to Cap Ferret, with its charming little fishing villages. Narrow streets wind between the wooden oyster huts. In the distance, we can make out the Pyla dune, or even, further north, the bird island, a wild space with its Tchanquées huts built on stilts.
We take our time. We stroll without a mask in the village of l'Herbe, almost deserted. A last detour to visit the chapel of the Algerian villa and its Moorish style, its wild and solitary exposure facing the sea. The bright sky and its splendid calm make us forget the difficult times we are going through.
The afternoon drags on, not to mention the curfew. We have to get home before 6am. The Covid era brings us back to reality: eight kilometres before getting back on the road and then returning to our house in the countryside. We are on foot. Mission impossible? Not so sure... Because then we get the idea of hitchhiking, the carpooling of the 80s, 100% providence version. So there we are, hitchhiking on the side of the road, sticking out our thumbs like we did when we were 20. 30 seconds of waiting... and a vehicle stops to pick us up. Unbelievable!
Her driver, Véronique, dressed in a windsurfing-type wetsuit, takes us into her van after clearing the seats so that we can sit down. Without a second to lose, we get to know our driver. Véronique tells us about Cap Ferret, and especially about her professional activity: a longe-côte instructor. Longe-côte? A sporting activity that consists of walking with your body half submerged in the sea. Véronique answers our novice questions with ease about this sport that, more and more, brings together groups of six to eight people who walk along the beaches. "In a few months, I built up abs of steel," Véronique simply admits. We start to dream of one day taking part in a longe-côte session with Véronique. We laugh as we leave her blue van before each going our separate ways. Not only did she stop, but she filled the few minutes of travel together with her warm presence. There was truly a sharing of the present. We are all warmed by these moments of closeness and free kindness. It is a beautiful life lesson. "In a few months, I built abs of concrete, " Véronique simply admits. We start to dream of one day participating in a session of coastal walking with Véronique. We laugh as we leave her blue Van before getting back on the road. Not only did she stop, but she filled the few minutes of our trip with her warm presence. There was truly a sharing of the present. We are all warmed by these moments of closeness and free kindness. It is a beautiful life lesson.
They do not miss the beautiful encounters that we can have in the era of Covid, on vacation or at work, under the sun of the coming spring! It is up to us to invite these unpredictable encounters on our paths, it is up to us to provoke them.
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