There will be days when the wind blows. Life can be turbulent. Your mind will be attacked, your body will feel stressed, and there will be no peace of mind.
There will be days when everything goes smoothly. You are in the flow. Nothing can go wrong. Stress will be a long way away, your body will be pain free, and problems won’t even be on your radar.
When you are at the beach, there is a microcosm of life in front of you. The wind blows and whips up the waves. It can be turbulent, wild, and unforgiving. The water blasts you as you head out into the surf. When you make it far enough, you are able to float. When you are floating, you can struggle with the push and pull of the waves. You may head upshore or downshore, you might have to swim harder than you imagined.
Your mind and your life can seem this way sometimes. Thoughts rush past and you can’t keep up with them. The ideas are good, the ideas are bad, but it doesn’t quite matter because it’s impossible to slow down and parse them out.
On other days, the water is like glass. When you wade out, the waves are gentle nudges in one direction: back to the shore. You push past those nudges and head out to where you feel comfortable. When you float, you are one with the natural movements of the sea. You can push yourself and swim as far as you want because you know it will not be a struggle to return.
Your life can be like this too.
Thoughts come slowly like drips from a leaky faucet. You can pay attention to them, or what’s more, you can let them drip past. You can strain yourself in a comfortable way trying new exercises, new lifestyle changes, taking on new responsibilities at work, or pushing yourself harder at school.
Whether the waves are rough, or the waves are easy, there is one deeper realization.
What is in between the waves at the beach?
What is in between the waves of our thoughts?
Peace.
Quiet.
When life rushes up on you- take a step back. Wait for that space between the waves of thoughts. Reduce the frantic feeling and find the quiet. You will see that the process of thought slows down and allows you a moment. Take a breath in this moment. It’s not for some quasi-spiritual, crunchy spaced out mentality. It’s to be present so that you may be at your best in that moment.
On the other hand, when life slows down take a moment to have gratitude for the peace in your life. Take an extra moment to listen to the peace and quiet. Let this quiet pervade your life and be part of who you are so that others may benefit from your peace. Show patience to others and show patience to the challenges that arise in life.
Take a moment this summer to go to the water. If you are fortunate enough to have it as part of a vacation, then go out before the kids wake up. Go out at night when your traveling partners are relaxing. Take this moment for yourself and listen to the sound in between the waves crashing. Listen for that quiet and bring it back to your life.
