When I went to San Diego to visit my daughter the thing I was most excited about was the beach. I could not wait to get there and see the ocean and sit in the peace and soak it all in. My favorite beach….Ocean Beach. For years that was my go-to place. When I was stressed or worried or overwhelmed or lost…I would go to Ocean Beach and there I would find the peace and answers or just reassurance that I’d been looking for all along.
So imagine my surprise when I got to the beach and found it lovely and so nice and….not as peaceful as I’d remembered. In fact, it was just a beach. I love the beach, don’t get me wrong, but it was not nearly as special as I’d remembered and not at all as magical as I’d expected.
My first thought was maybe I wasn’t appreciating the magic of the beach and I was so stressed I wasn’t able to connect with the peace that was there. But after sitting with myself and my feelings for a while I discovered that was not actually the case. I was already feeling peaceful and content and the beach was just a very nice place to be.
I was very surprised and also a little excited to discover that the peace and contentment that I used to find at the beach had become a part of me over the years. I no longer needed an outside source to help me to locate the serenity I’d been craving for so many years. I realized that the hard work I’ve been doing has paid off and now the magic of the beach is actually within me all the time.
Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.
Mahatma Gandhi
I still love Ocean Beach. And it turns out that this beautiful place still had something to offer. Myself. This trip to the beach taught me that what I’ve been seeking for all along has finally become a part of me. I will always be grateful for Ocean Beach and the lessons I learned there. Calm, serenity, magic and…
