An hour ago I got back from a walk on the beach. You know, trying to get my steps in so this pesky bracelet on my arm doesn’t bug me for failing at my goals. What can I say….. it works. As I walked down the beach the wind was at my back. I was walking north so the sun was low in the sky to my left. In an hour the sun would disappear. The beach was all but deserted. A woman with a dog over there. A couple with a young child looking for shells off in the distance. In a few more steps there was no one. Just me, the waves, the sand and the ocean. Not even footprints in the sand. A beautiful late afternoon walk. I was unaware of how strong the breeze pushing me forward actually was. I felt absent from stress. None of the things that seemed so important just a few hours before seemed that important. There was peace in being alone. Just me and the elements. Then I turned around to begin my walk back home. Immediately I realized that I was walking directly into a brisk head wind. I was struck with how invigorating the wind in my face was. It took more effort but it was clearly more invigorating. Still I felt none of the cares of the day or of life. Just immersed in the elements and the moment. Do you have a place like that? Do you have places you can escape. A place where you can legitimately isolate and release for a while. I am not sure why I went to the beach this afternoon. But I realized it was the place I most needed to be so I could experience nothing and everything. There is a lot of noise in the world today. There is a lot of pressure to perform and to DO more. I want to encourage you to find a place where you are disconnected from everything except the raw, the real, and the invigorating elements that your “place” presents to you. If you don’t have a place, find one. Find one today. You will be more aware. You will feel more energy. You will make better decisions. And you might even get your steps in.
