The Ocean

The ocean has an amazing hold on me. I can't explain it. It's not even something I recognize until again, I'm standing on the shore as the waves crash around my feet, the scent of salted air fills my senses, and I feel the breeze on my skin. No matter how often I forget, the moment I am there, I remember. And I embrace it with all my soul.

The ocean is soul refreshing. Each time I leave I feel renewed, refreshed, energized, and at peace. Nothing else has the capacity to still my scattered thoughts and allow me to just... be. Overlooking the vast expanse of water, the waves following the same pattern of rushing and running it has for millions of years, the feel of sand, rocks battered down over the millennia to a perfect smoothness, I am reminded in every sense that no matter how anxious I get over something, how stressed I make myself with worries, how annoyed I may have been with the kids crying or fighting over the choice of radio music on the way there... all of my problems are so miniscule. And like the waves constantly clearing the shore, my issues are so small and will also be cleansed with the cycle of time.

I am reminded that while *I* may think my worries are important at the time, in the long run I am only a small part of the entire whole of what is. And my worries, for the most part, are insignificant. While that thought process may scare some people, for me, that gives me a sense of peace and comfort. I feel both connected with the whole of what is, and that in time, my worries will cease to have meaning.

Capering on the sand, chasing waves, being chased by the waves, my children also love the ocean. There is no bickering between them. There is no whining, unless it's when J and I tell Soren no, he can not eat the sand. But that passes as he is distracted by a seashell or something edible to nosh on as he sits and stares at the waves. The older boys race together to jump into the white foamed water, screeching with delight. Happiness is children playing in the ocean together. Happiness is watching your children have the time of their life side by side, enjoying to the fullest what nature graciously offers. Such a gift is precious and one I cherish with all my heart.