Wow.... Two months since the last post. I'm not sure who I was then, but I'm a totally different person now. As I like to say, worlds have come into existence and gone away again since I saw you last!
My favorite time at the beach is sunset---the end of a long day of fun, rest, doing nothing, the joy of just being, and playing in the water. Most people have gone in to get cleaned up and eat dinner, but I like to go to the shore and take it all in. I feel light, clear, and like I have room to breathe deep and just be. The waves keep hitting the shore but they seem more settled at that time.
Perhaps that's why on Thursday, March 22nd at sunset as I was leaving Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, GA all I could think of was my overwhelming urge to be walking on a beach somewhere and yet very aware of how land-locked I was here in the ATL.
For the past week I had been caring for my Mom after her unexpected heart attack and emergency open heart surgery. She is on the mend now after the mitral valve repair and quadruple bypass, but prior to this there was no clue of heart disease. Talk about a big WOW!
What a journey it's been...what an eye-opener. And on Thursday night, I could finally stop and enjoy the sunset from the top deck of the hospital parking garage. I could finally breathe deep and when I did my soul wanted to be on the beach at sunset.
So...I let it go there even though my body couldn't make the trip. Of course, the draw to the beach has been so strong since then that I went searching on the internet for the picture posted above so I'd have an image to go with this post when I finally wrote it.
I've also looked into what beach I might want to move to so I can live there full-time, like St. Simon's Island or perhaps some remote location where beachfront property is more within my budget and the town is smaller rather than a tourist mecca.
In this pull to the beach, I've connected very strongly with the turtle for some reason. Thanks to Tom Howick, my high school Oceanography teacher & friend, I learned much about the loggerhead turtles that come onto the beach to lay their eggs under the cover of night and then return to the sea and go on their way.
The sun has the honor of hatching these eggs. Once free of the egg's shell, the baby turtle immediately dashes (as much as a turtle can "dash") to the sea. They are at their most vulnerable in this first trip of theirs and many don't ever reach the water.
The fragile, beautiful, wonderful cycle of life. Mama turtles lay eggs. Baby turtles try to survive. Moms have heart attacks. Daughters companion their parent. But at the end of the day, you remember that no matter what a journey might hold, we still have the choice to breathe deep, settle down, and clear a path for the next day & all the adventures waiting to unfold within it.
In lieu of moving to the beach at this particular time in my life, I opted instead for an air freshner in the shape of a turtle that now hangs in my car. The scent is "Sea Mist", and I just happened upon it Sunday while having my car cleaned.
Now as I drive thru traffic in land-locked Atlanta, I see that turtle and remember to breathe deep, settle in and get clear. Turtle carries the wisdom of patience, longevity, and seeing our perception of time differently.
So far I'm enjoying this journey with Turtle and finding many gifts along the way that I missed while letting myself get caught up in the frantic march of time that us humans have invested way too much energy in.
Here's to learning how to be a turtle...how to take our time & begin to see life through the wise eyes of a turtle...how to go with the natural flow of things...how to enjoy life by not missing those wonderful, amazing things on the way that float there alongside us just waiting to be noticed and given attention.
We're all surrounded by so much abundance, so many gifts created especially for us to bring us joy, love, and much laughter. Be like a turtle and take notice!
