The Agate Hunter
The waves pummel the shore as she picks her way carefully along the rocks, head bent, agate eye trained down.
Lake Superior has many moods. Some days, a tempest makes agate hunting impossible, with waves too powerful, churning rocks, sand, and detritus with each impact. Today is close to that, but we’re able to stay a safe enough distance from the crashing water as we make our way down the shore.
Suddenly, her eye spots that familiar agate hue: a reddish-brown that glows in the moody fall lighting, like it’s been lit up on the inside. She crouches to investigate, reaching for the spot with her small-but-no-longer-baby-pudgy fingers, pinching the rock and bringing it closer to her face for a proper investigation. Happy with her find, she holds it out for me to take.
Sometimes, she fills her own pockets with treasures, but today they’re hidden beneath her blue rain suit. It’s chilly, as fall is well underway on Minnesota’s North Shore, and the suit keeps her a little bit warmer, and a lot drier.
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At five, she loves to get wet, even when the water is far too cold for it to be enjoyable. But that’s my own opinion — as a child, she’s made of hardier stuff.
I drop the small, translucent agate piece into my pocket, growing heavier with each find. I’ve been picking up the odd agate bit or chunk of sea glass, but my agate eye isn’t nearly as well-trained as hers. She’s grown up coming here, to this stretch of the Agate Bay shoreline. It’s her happy place—she can spend hours out here agate hunting, playing in the rocks, traversing the shoreline, sitting in the one soft sandy place, and wading in the water, letting her imagination run as wild as her windblown, uncombed hair.
I hope that, as she grows, she continues to find so much joy and peace here, on the rocky shore. I hope that Lake Superior’s many moods continue to enchant and awe her. I hope that she feels the slower pace of life here, away from any kind of daily grind. I hope she learns to find herself by seeking stillness and watching nature unfold around her.
I hope she feels like she’s home.
