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Self-Care Tip #258 – Let yourself escape.
On the beach this evening, waiting for sunset, our dogs were leashed around a pole whining to be free.
There is something about the beach that enchants us. Broken glass, becomes “sea glass.” Dirty feet seem appropriate and wanted. We don’t remember the edge that we teetered on for hours earlier that day. We remember our own turn and there are fantasies that come in closer.
My children were like puppies let loose.
This place where three worlds meet; land, sea and sky, the beauty is so great that somehow forgiveness comes as if it can’t stay away. Forgiveness comes when we don’t even know we are holding a grudge. I guess there is just no space for that stink at the beach with our lovely dirty feet and our dreams about to come true.
My son found a feather trapped in a heap of slimy seaweed and flies and he grabbed it quickly, thinking his sister would try to get to it first.
Look! A treasure! This feather! It is a treasure!
Sister said something inarticulate and was off toward the water’s edge. Son turns to me and says,
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A treasure Mommy! This is your treasure Mommy. I found it. It’s yours now from me. A treasure!
I saw the flies and remembered the bird who pooped without sphincter control that the feather had belonged to, and I took that enchanted nappy feather with my fingers.
You keep it now Mommy. Don’t lose it. Kay?
I even said thank-you.
Question: Where do you feel enchanted? What takes you away and what does it do for you to be able to escape? Please tell me your story.
I love this post, Doc. ‘Dirty feet seem appropriate and wanted.’ Exactly!
This is my enchanted place:
http://theonlycin.wordpress.com/2010/06/16/of-paradise-and-parking-lots/
u sweet lady. i love your link. thank u for resonating w me.
I love this story!!!
Now, it is time for a thorough hand scrubbing. 🙂
u catch every subtlety!
When we read Sartre, Kafka, Camus and Dostoevsky we are reminded that there is no escape from the human condition or any way to be extracted from it. We must learn to live in spite of it and may be successful in rising above it and find happiness and meaning anyway. Far too often, far too many resort to drugs and alcohol for escape. In my case it was not so much escape I desired but alternative entertainment. In the effort to escape our realities, drug use leads to addiction and we may be unable to escape from our escape vehicle. I try to manage my days facing hardship, enjoying pleasantries and finding a balance where escape does not have to be a matter of great drama. Just some downtime to relish in moments and activities in which we may find some happiness and delight. It does not happen magically. We must craft and design such a life.
i thought of your comment all day today and found so much comfort in those thoughts. thank u.
I can almost see the beach you were on: the puddle of seaweed and “treasures”, the running, happy children…and the world weary parents. Mentioning evening brings sunset on the water, too. Yep. Been there. Done that. Loved it…always. It amazes me that, no matter what age or what frame of mind, the beach, the ocean, the sky together can calm the most frayed of nerves. And, for me, enoying that growing up on Cape Cod and then watching my children on the same beaches bring beautiful memories (The only beautiful memories from my own childhood, actually.), but the long walks on those beaches early in the morning alone with my grandmother bring the most calming, healing memories. Those moments are where I go when I need to find a quiet spot to re-focus or to meditate or even to pray. My granddaughter gave me a Willow Tree sculpture for Christmas entitled “With My Grandmother – The best gift of time is spent with you.” I’d add “walking on the beach”. Those walks with Gram saved me when she was alive and the memories of them have held me together (to one extent or another) for the 36 years that she has been gone. The beach – your post today – always, under whatever circumstances, brings her back and quiets me. Thank you.
lovely nancy. i can see that. thx.
Love this! I remember well how little boys treasures are not so much to our liking though the sentiment can’t be matched. Only mothers can appreciate the love behind those gifts of otherwise known as trash…bottle caps, twigs, feathers, rocks, chewed gum (couldn’t help but throw that in there!) Your story brought back great memories and warmed my heart.
i thought of u, nature lubber, suzicate when i wrote this believe it or not! hugs
Reading at the beach is one of my favorite things in the world to do. The sound of the waves, the screeching of the seagulls, the smell of the beach air-its paradise to me.
too lovely. thx
I return from the shore weighed by the amount of special stones, lucky pebbles, sea glass, shell fragments stuffed into my bulging pockets.
They gather them.
I transport them.
Later I wonder what the smell is.
Then I remember.
In fact, just beside is a little collection – that I’m keeping safe for them until whenever – that includes a gravel sellotaped to a broken piece of slate.
But I dare not dump it.
Good for you! One day they’ll love it…or wonder why on earth you kept it…but, however they feel, they’ll know you loved them in keeping their treasures.
second!
too cute. will u b my grandma! i could really use this kind of attn. who couldn’t? keep on!
The beach is a nice place to be. Finding things that could’ve come from far away, the sound of the birds and the waves. I don’t really have an enchanted place myself exactly, but wherever you can feel at peace is kind of like that. Plus, video games kind of are a little enchanted for me. You can escape from the world for a little while, be a hero, go on adventures, and there’s no real danger. It’s nice. I like being able to forget about my worries and the things that depress me.
thx duck. i wonder though. reading your work, i wonder if computer games rn’t your special nook in the crevice u enjoy? keep on!
Great post, Sana. I’m just back from a weeklong writing retreat at the beach that was spectacular. (Blog post in the works). The time away fed my mind, body, and spirit, and I got some writing done on the novel as well. The thing that struck me was that even though my life at home has a pretty good balance between work and free time, there are too many things that need to get accomplished that detract from my engaging fully in my passion. Being away for a week without phone calls, emails, blog posts, internet, drama of any kind was the most amazing experience. Now I have to figure out how to simplify my life at home to get back to basics.
u first! awesome! let me know and i’ll try to get on right behind u. sounds as wonderful as could b. keep on.
For me, it’s the morning bike rides I take around my neighborhood (which has a beautiful sparkling lake) on my beach cruiser. I love the fresh air in the morning.
i LOVE beach cruisers and drool over them every time i see one. i’ll think of u next time.
I am enchanted every time I hear a child express himself with such wondrous, exciting words like the treasured feather. It takes me back to my kids at different ages and the expression on their faces when something ‘enchanting’ was discovered… My favorite memory is my daughter as an infant when she discovered her toes and feet. The excitement in her rosy cheeks is still imprinted in my memory. Missed U! LS
exceptional memory. thk u for sharing. sigh.