Do you have a place? A place you feel so at peace that you never want to leave? A place that grounds you like no other? A place that brings a smile to your face when you think of it? A place that you can so easily tap into when you are having a day? A place you will go to when you just need a little “me” time?
That place for me is the Beach.
After a trip to the beach I feel calm, connected, creative. There is just something about it for me. No matter the season… There may be less visits in the winter but as long as it’s not snowing I will drive the coast and if I am able to park I will totally stop and take in the ocean air.
Why the Beach?
#1 Relaxing Sounds
There is a reason ocean waves are on those noise machines people use to sleep at night. I could literally sit all day with my feet in the sand listening to the crashing sounds of the waves as they reach the shore. This sound is so calming to me. Everything else gets tuned out…even those mothers yelling at their children to stop throwing sand at each other… I often will record this to use to meditate to at home as it brings me right back to the place where I feel most relaxed.
#2 Grounding Energy
Putting your feet in the sand is truly a thing. Whether it is the warmth of the fine sand surrounding the bottoms of your feet or the cooler more firm sand as you walk closer to the water. The sand has an astounding way of quickly connecting us with the earth and the energy around us.
Oh and let’s not forget about the Sun… feeling the warmth as it shines down on me. I love how it feels… there is something about it’s energy. And of course a little vitamin D never hurts!
#3 The Memories
I grew up & also currently live only about an hour or so from the ocean. (the mountains are not far either… I am so lucky!) Though it was so close, we had a pool and we had family with a lake house so ocean beach trips were super special. We would spend the whole day riding the waves, building sand castles, eating fruit and burying ourselves in the sand. It was not about the grounding energy or relaxation, it was about the FUN! And as I get older I love the beach more and more.
I am so grateful now that my kiddos love the beach just as much as I do. It’s the one thing my kiddos will get up early for without any complaints! We get up bright & early, get our bathing suits on, pack up and go “road trippin” as my son will say. We get there early for a good spot and will spend as much time as possible there. So many amazing memories for us from searching for seashells, to climbing the rocks to finding crabs and other creatures. They even get me in the frigid water body surfing… it’s like I am a kid again.
My hope is that they will fondly remember the beach from their childhood and continue to love it with their kids and grandkids!
#4 Healing Vibes
Salt Water, Salty Air, the waves, the grounding energy, the relaxation, quality time with my kids living in the moment, and even time for myself reading and writing. The beach is a form of self care and healing for me. From the natural elements that help our body to the connection with myself, my kids & all of the nature around us to the disconnection from technology the beach is healing for my mind, body & soul.
What is your place?
I would not be surprised if you say the beach too… I tend to attract other beach loving people too. There is an energy connecting us…
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Today, Independence day, I spent some time reflecting on what independence and freedom mean to me.
I have always been a very independent person in so many ways yet true freedom has been tough to find. I was born into a free country. I was raised by loving parents. I have had great experiences and opportunities in my life. I am not under someone else's control. I have free will and able to do as I choose. Yet I was feeling stuck.
I allowed myself to be controlled by my fear, by what others thought about me, by the unknown. I always did what I "should" do, what I was good at, what helped others. And I lost myself in the process. I longed for freedom but I had no idea how to find it. That is until I was introduced to meditation and began my spiritual journey.
The key was to be quiet. To go inward. To connect with myself and with the energy around me. To know myself better than I ever had before. Only then can I find the freedom I am after. Only then will I know myself enough to know what freedom means to me. Only then did I even realize that freedom was one of my core desired feelings.
Freedom to me meant that I could do what I desired to do for work, in life. That I could follow my passion rather than just doing what I was “good” at. But I never felt like I could live that way. I had to do what was expected of me. I had to make a good living to provide for my kids. I had to put my kids, my husband and everyone else before me.
It was selfish to think of my desires first….
Or so I thought.
I was putting these limitations on myself. No one was forcing me to do what I was doing. I was free to do what I desired but I was letting FEAR stop me. Fear that if I put myself first I would not be loved by others. Fear that if I did not do what others expected of me I would be rejected. Fear that I was not good enough to pursue a career in something I was passionate about. Fear of failure. Fear of success. So much fear...
Fear was stopping me from living the life I desire to live, it was stopping me from creating the legacy for my kids that I wished to create, it was stopping me from being authentically me.
And all of that fear was something that I was making up myself. Fear is NOT the truth. It is the ego’s way of stopping us from getting hurt. But I was hurting…
“No one outside ourselves can rule us inwardly. When we know this, we become free.” - Buddha
Now that I know the control that fear can have on me I am doing my best to work through the fear. I started meditating daily. I practiced daily non-negotiable rituals for myself. I went inward. And then started to feel freedom finding me.
The fear is still there… but I am not going to let is stop me from chasing my dreams. I am free to design a life I love. I am free to be me. I am still evolving. The journey continues.
And I will tell you what… I will do my darndest to make sure that my kids always know that they are free to be authentically who they are and to live the life they desire. That is my life’s mission. To build a legacy for my kiddos with my kiddos.
What does freedom mean to you?
Does fear stop you from living the life you desire?
If you resonate with any of this I would love to have you jump into my free Facebook community. This month (July 2021), we are doing a deep dive into the book “The 4 Agreements” and I would love to have you join us. (and if you read this later..check out the guides section for all the details)
It’s a beautiful almost summer morning in June and I have spent much of the morning outside. Watering my garden (first time gardener…. It is certainly interesting…), Reading my book on my patio and then a walk. Although I love to take pictures of nature when I walk. And share with my friends how great it is to get out in nature I realized that I often get caught up in showing everyone else how great it is that I am not fully in the moment just for me. So, I decided to leave my phone at home. This walk will be only for me and me alone.
Well only a few minutes into my walk part of me was wishing I had my phone with me. I was enjoying all the sites and sounds and thought how great it was to share it. Then… about 10 minutes in the sparks of creativity started. I had all of these ideas for blogs, for ways to share with others, for services to add to my business, for things to do around the house. I had nothing to record or write them down on and I know how my brain works… fingers crossed that I could remember them when I got back home.
I actually thought about turning around so I could document it all but then I realized something. There is a reason I feel so creative right now. I am outside in nature, I am spending time with Me and only Me enjoying this nature, no chores being done, no one to be held accountable to, zero technology with me (other than my super old fitbit so I know how long I walked and what time it was…). It is this disconnection that was allowing me to fully connect with the energy around me. And this energy was feeding my creativity at a deeper soul level.
And guess what? I remembered what came to me on the walk, even 45 minutes & 4 miles later! So the morale of this story is I must do this more!!! I must disconnect from tech and connect with myself, nature & the amazing energy we create together!
What sparks your creativity? Do that more….
Check out the video when I chat a bit about this https://youtu.be/eyl2C5qTzEQ
And if you are looking for more inspiration in a like minded high vibin community join us https://www.facebook.com/groups/momsrewritingourstory
