After several months of rainy weather, yesterday unofficially kicked off the start of beach season. Dan and I were beyond excited – this is what we live for; it’s why we moved to the coast. And while we love the rain, there’s something so special about spending time at the beach and being able to put our toes in the warm sand, soak up the sun, and relax while listening to the waves.

So, when we saw the perfect weather forecast and saw that the skies were blue and clear and the air was still, we excitedly packed up the car and headed to our favorite spot – ready for a day at the beach!

When we rounded the corner where we usually see the ocean, we saw a layer of white instead. The entire ocean as far as we could see – all the way to the horizon – was covered in a blanket of fog. While this marine layer happens quite often in the summer, we were surprised to see it in March. Upon first seeing it, my heart sank a bit. We were prepared for a warm day in the sun – we had our sandals and our sunscreen and our beach chairs and were ready to chill out for the day. A few minutes later, though, when we walked closer and stood above the fog and saw how truly beautiful it was, my entire attitude about it changed. I was mesmerized by it. From far away, it seemed like one dense layer. Yet, up close it was moving and drifting and constantly changing. I could see shapes in it, and even a mini rainbow. It felt magical. I stood next to it for several minutes, feeling grateful to have been able to witness nature at its finest. And, it seemed that once I embraced this experience – rather than hoping for something else – the fog began to lift and clear, and once again I was able to see my friend, the ocean. We ended up being able to spend the day at the beach after all, and it was perfectly clear and just what we needed.

Because of this experience, I realized that I could choose to embrace the fog in other areas of my life as well, not just at the beach. A few weeks ago, I caught a cold and haven’t felt quite right ever since. My brain felt like it was fogged in, and that completely stressed me out because I felt that I was falling behind in each area of my life. Being sick also triggered an old story of mine where I imagine that when I was given my body to come to Earth, somehow someone played a game on me and gave me a reject – one that would constantly be sick and have all sorts of issues and cause so much trouble for me over and over again throughout my time here. I felt so angry with my body for somehow letting me down…again, for not being superhuman and for not being able to slay any germs that came its way before they had a chance to infiltrate my system.

I was in the middle of the fog and couldn’t seem to find my way out of it. I was pushing against something that I couldn’t seem to get a firm hold of or control in any way. Pushing against being sick wasn’t going to help me heal any faster. Being angry with my body certainly wasn’t going to speed things along. And getting down on myself definitely wasn’t going to benefit me. I had to embrace the fog, find the beauty in it, and allow it to lift in perfect timing. And, just like what happened with the actual fog, once I let go…I felt so much better. I felt lighter…and happier.

I’m going to remember this moving forward. I can’t control the fog. I can’t make it lift when I want it to lift. But I can get up close to it and see its beauty. I can find all of the good that it brings with it. And I can be easier on it and also on myself. I can embrace the fog. That’s definitely something that I can do, that I will be mindful of doing from now on. Because it just feels so much better when I do.

Hugs,

 

 

 

 

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