We walk over it, we dig it out from between our toes, lie down on it, kick it up into the air and stomp all over it. Sand. It's one of those things that we learn to take for granted only because we have come to see it with jaded eyes. Sand, who takes sand seriously anyway?
Sandologists, that's who. Sandology is a branch of geology concerned with the study and evolution of sand. While to the untrained eye, sand may just be sand, to a Sandologist, there are thousands of varieties of sand, from the smooth Saldean sand dunes of the southern Spanish coast, to the honey sand of Argentinian beaches to the pale sugar sand of the Bahamas, to the Aeden sands of New Zealand, Sandologists know that each beach's sand is a unique combination of local geology and climate.
And even when you don't see it, if you live near the beach or the shore, there may well be sand under you, paved over and covered with dirt. But roll the dirt back and the sand will be revealed again, waiting for the land you are on to become a beach. As the interface between the sea and the shore, the ocean and the land, the river and the peninsula, sand is the medium that brings friction to the liquid tides and a barrier to the land. Sand you see is a friend after all.
Dip your toes into it, enjoy it. Take a walk on it and you'll be hooked for good.
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