1. I have always loved the beach.
2. I find nothing more beautiful than the movement of the tides,
3. the music of the surf,
4. the play of light on the surface,
5. the magic of the push and pull of each wave.
6. On Topsail Island, North Carolina, last week, I found perfect peace swimming out to each new wave
7. And, when I came back to the beach, timing each step with the movement of the water.
8. I showed my daughter how to jump into the waves rather than be overwhelmed by them. Sometimes we got it right; sometimes we drank water.
9. Missing the beat can feel very much like being the only bit of laundry in a very large washing machine. Better to pay attention.
10. We did that until we were completely caught up in the flow of the water--until there was nothing but water
11. And no thought but to be a part of it.
12. That is the beauty and mystery of the sea.
13. Home again, I have been reading the Tao. The sixteenth verse captures the experience of the sea, I think. Here is part of it:
Become totally empty.
Let your heart be at peace.
Amidst the rush of worldly comings and goings,
observe how endings become beginnings.
Let your heart be at peace.
Amidst the rush of worldly comings and goings,
observe how endings become beginnings.
Sandy Carlson Social