A Nature Moment
Today I was feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and a big "to do" list. And so a friend suggested I write things down. And so I did. Then, everything on paper seemed a little less daunting, not as difficult to do. Somehow, by writing the list down on paper, it was off of my chest, and out of my mind. I still had the exact same things to do, but somehow they seemed do-able. I could relax a bit more. Not so bad. My attitude shifted.
My friend also suggested taking an ocean break at the end of the day, so here I am now, sitting on a bright blue nylon beach chair, a pen and notebook on my lap, with the ocean waves lapping at my sandy toes. I am listening to the sound of the waves, and feeling the rhythm of the ocean-- a constant beat of time.
There is something lovely about nature...whether it is in a park, on a beach, lying on the green grass, stretching out on creamy sand, sitting by a percolating river, or a running stream, a serene mountain, a quiet meadow, a falling waterfall. All nature is amazing. But for me, the beauty of the ocean has always been my secret heart space. My sanctuary. My sacred place. It is a place where I feel the deep rhythms of the earth - a vibrant life force - the grandeur of nature.
So what's my point? That sometimes it is essential to stop whatever you are doing, and take a mental break, and pause for a moment in time. For that is all we have: moments in time. And in that moment, stop and listen to the heartbeat of the earth. Sometimes it is about being, not doing. It's that simple.
The writer, Virginia Woolf, called these moments, "moments of being"--when a moment becomes much bigger than itself, becomes an expanded moment in time. A simple moment becomes a moment that blossoms with fullness, ripeness, richness, delight, joy.
My friend is paddle-boarding right now, smack in the middle of the ocean. He is one with the waves, his paddle, his board, the rhythm of the ocean. That's his sweet spot, his saving grace, his meditation.
I did not grow up surfing, so for me resting quietly on a beach chair by the ocean, listening to the sound of the waves, feeling the warmth of the sun on bare shoulders, looking at blue skies, blue waters, yellow sand, blanched driftwood...this is enough for me. This is my moment of being. My prayer.
The sound of the waves touch my soul. I am one with the waves, the ocean, the sand, the sky, the land, and all the nature around me, in this expanded moment of being--this expanded moment in time. I breathe in tune with the rhythm of the waves. I am reminded why I am here on earth. I am being, not doing. I breathe in all this nature, all this beauty, all this light, all this space, deep into my soul, deep into my being. And I do feel refreshed. My friend was right.
Today's recipe: Basil macadamia nut dip. Enjoy!
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