Beach Therapy

I’ve lived by the beach almost my entire life and I am thoroughly grateful.  I find the beach to be therapeutic for it fosters my connection with God and helps me be present.  The beach calls out to me.  I might be sitting on my balcony or walking my dog and when I hear the ocean, whatever my initial intentions were, somehow I end walking to the beach.  10 minutes of fresh salt air, the sound of the waves and seagulls, feel of the sand on my feet (because I just have to take my flip flops off) and expansive horizon remind me of the important things in life and I am humbled.   

I wrote about how therapeutic the beach is for me a couple of summers ago and I’d like to re-visit this post as it describes exactly how I was feeling in that moment:

The Beach

I've been feeling really overwhelmed. I really love my job but it is very challenging. I have been working extremely hard - harder than I ever have in my entire life. I'm trying to put things into perspective and accept that I can only do so much. I haven't been doing a good job, though. Well, until my husband and I went to the beach yesterday.

I had forgotten how amazing the beach is. Going to the beach is better than taking anti-depressants. I sat in my pink beach chair, drank a few beers, squished sand through my toes and thanked God for creating such a beautiful world. I waded into the ocean intending only to get my feet wet but the water felt so refreshing, I had to jump in. Diving into waves and completely immersing myself in the cool, teal water washed away all of my stress, anxiety and exhaustion.

My husband and I laid in six inches of water, rubbed sand through our fingers, kissed each other under our cowboy hats and talked about how wonderful our lives are. The current was so strong that our bodies swayed with the rhythm of the waves - it was one of the most natural feelings ever. I love going to the beach and I go quite often. For some reason though, that day at the beach will be a moment I will always remember. I felt pure and happy and refreshed. It was the kind of feeling that reminds me of what is important in life - like the scent of the ocean, watching a hawk dive for fish, remembering how salt water turns my husband's eyes a beautiful blue-green color, and eating Twizzlers while the sun warms my skin and absorbs all things negative.