A Day at the Beach

Good afternoon.  I had the most amazing day.   I slept until about 8 am, had my coffee, and then did something I hadn't done in a long time.  I went out.  Yes, I finally left the house on a weekend for something other than food shopping.  The weather is warm, a little cooler than yesterday, but warm nonetheles.  I'm off work tomorrow on a vacation day and have Tuesday off for my birthday, so I had it planned to get out to the beach on Monday.  But, I heard the weather and rain is predicted, so this would be a perfect day for me to venture out.  I refused to allow myself to talk me out of it.  I can not only be my biggest critic, but also can talk myself out of doing things as fast as you can snap your fingers. I can come up with all kinds of excuses to get out of going places...my back hurts, my knees, oh, I am too tired...oh, the weather's not so great.  But, there was none of that today.  I have become far too sedentary along with my poor eating habits...so it's no wonder I've put on so much weight.

The beach is one of my favorite places...for both magical and mundane reasons. The energy there is strong.  I used to go every Sunday...and no matter what was going on in my life, a trip to the ocean always made me feel better. My Sunday outings stopped when they began doing weekend trackwork...and even though I am about 20 minutes away on the train, the trip soon became a hastle  and remained that way for about a year....what with transfers, and shuttle buses...so I just stopped going; that was the beginning of the rut I find myself in.  I grew to dislike getting dressed on weekends and spent all of my time with Nature in my backyard.

The ocean is an excellent place for meditation...the sound of the waves lashing against the shore are very usedful to me in inducing a meditative state.  Sometimes I just close my eyes and I can visualize the way it used to be, another time...I can see and hear the ghosts of the past..frolicking and laughing while they play in the sand.  Will their laughter die out now?...I wonder...when the Coney Island that they knew and loved is no longer there...when it has become just another super amusement park?  To me, Coney has always been the land that time forgot...but now it seems it has finally caught up.  At other times, I find myself gazing over the seemingly never-ending expanse of the ocean...and I can visualize my ancestors who braved the treacherous waters to begin new lives in the strange and wondrous country.  The following is a simple meditation I enjoy using when working with the ocean.

Clear your mind of distractions.  Close your eyes and breathe deeply; listen to the gentle waves.  Feel the calmness within you.  See how the sunlight glints and plays across the waves; now, look as far out over the sea as the horizon will take you.  

Feel the breeze and let it inside with a deep breath.  Allow the ocean's power inside--breathe deeply and time with the waves.  See the white curl on the crest of the wave...as you breathe with the ocean.  Feel its force and its gentleness as one.  The waves rhythmic lull fill your senses.

You are calmed and rested.