Our Story: On A Cove Quest

By Alexandra Loos, SPHR 🔹

As a child, the highlight of my summer each year was spending some time with Mamie, my grandma. Her house in the coastal community of Royan, France, was two blocks from the beach.

Whenever I felt adventurous, I would ride my bike alone on the path along the cliff and hike down a narrow trail to my secluded cove ("crique" in French). In my memory, the beach was sheltered by tall rocks, and I would spend hours exploring the tide pools in search of sea creatures. I would sift the sand to discover shells, pebbles, and fascinating sea glass. The waves crashing against the rocks nearby sounded like chaos. Yet, in my cove, I felt safe and calm as I remained focused on the soothing sound of waves gently meeting the sandy shore while I collected my treasures.

Fast-forwarding several decades, I recently went on a quest to rediscover the cove of my youth and share this moment with my husband.

The rocks were much smaller than in my childhood memories. While standing in my cove, I realized how fortunate I was to have had the freedom to explore at a young age, thanks to Mamie.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the beach had preserved the childhood treasures I had vividly remembered all these years. Before I realized it, I started observing creatures in the tide pools, exploring the sand, and looking for shells, pebbles, and sea glass. Listening to the waves reaching the shore, I fully immersed myself in the peaceful serenity of this thriving ecosystem and felt energized. Soon after, we had to leave as a thunderstorm approached. That’s all right; I now have an adult memory of this moment in my cove that I will cherish.

I wanted to share the story behind the name of Cove.eco Business Community, which I co-founded with Shad earlier this year. We chose the name "Cove” as we envisioned creating an ecosystem allowing small business owners to change pace and take the time to hang out to make new connections, collaborate to grow their business or explore self-paced learning in a sheltered and inspiring virtual community.