Going to the Beach in My Mind

June 13, 2023

My dear friend and former colleague, Honor, taught me years ago to “Go to the Beach” whenever I needed a break from the stresses of our jobs and at the time a very difficult co-worker. She inspired me to find ocean wave soundtracks to listen to as I drove around town or meditated before work. I began to gather ocean themed mementos like shells and decorative bottles filled with sand I collected at favorite beaches, scented candles and pictures of my family enjoying themselves on beach vacations to help me feel connected to the beach when I saw them in groupings around my house and at work.  Honor opened my mind to the idea of going physically to the beach more than once a year so that I could recharge my soul more frequently with the sights and sounds that soothe me the best. To this day, I am greatly indebted to her for these suggestions!

This morning as I practiced yoga in my ocean themed yoga room, I was greeted by rainbows dancing on the floor and walls, cast by a crystal given to me by another dear friend, Robbin. I matched my inhalations and exhalations to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach playing through my blue tooth speaker and let my mind wander to thoughts of walking in the sand last February and November. The beach in fall and winter is more stark and less populated. On both trips I had to bundle myself in sweatshirts, a coat, and a hat to be comfortable in the chilly sea breezes. Still, even in the colder months, the scent of the salt in the air and the energy of the open sky over the crashing waves gives me strength to draw upon as needed. The flowing movement of my asana in my yoga room this morning shifted with the rhythmic wave sounds. When I closed my eyes, I could imagine practicing on the beach, protected by the dunes on a gentle summer morning.

On Thursday evening, I will return to the beach in North Carolina for a long weekend. This time my husband and I will travel together and plan to enjoy long walks, fresh seafood and afternoons hidden beneath our umbrella reading in the late afternoon warmth. This will be an important time of recharge as we rest and reset from a particularly challenging year in our immediate family with hospitalizations, a major surgery, an unexpected death, job changes and the excitement of our youngest son graduating from college. It has sometimes felt like hurricane winds and torrential rains have battered us as we went about the business of living and working. This year, we need to spend extra time recharging our energy and rebuilding our reserves and we have two beach trips planned.

Nick and I got engaged on the beach in 2009 and we have vacationed there many times with our family over the years. It has been our tradition in recent years to celebrate our anniversary at the Outer Banks, but this year we had to wait a few weeks until Nick’s new job gave him a 4-day weekend. It is my fantasy to retire to the beach one day and whether that happens or not, I will make sure I see the Atlantic regularly for my mental and physical health. Today I am grateful that I have learned to prioritize “beach time” physically and in my mind, and for friendship with spiritually connected friends.