Life's a Beach

One early morning last week, I went for a walk on the beach.  There were only a few surfers in the water, but for the most part, the beach was empty.  It was so beautiful and peaceful and with each step, a deep serenity began to replace the usual “to do” list normally foremost in my mind.

Realizing that my footprints were the first on the beach that morning, a revelation about the landscape began to take form in my thoughts.  By sunset of the previous day, the beach had evidence of many footprints in the sand; shallow pits dug by little hands here and there; forgotten toys and random bits of trash littered its surface.  But by morning, the tide had washed away all evidence of the previous day’s use and once again, the beach was new and ready for its day’s inhabitants.

How like the beach, our lives are.  Each day has its footprints made by friends, family, and sometimes careless users.  Each day has its pits; its amusements; its bits of litter, but by the next morning, we are allowed to start anew.

You may be thinking, “Yeah, sure.  That’s a nice thought, but what about all the rough stuff that I still have to deal with from the days before?  I still have those bills due.  I still have my kids to worry about.  I still have…….”

I have posted a picture from my walk.  It shows the image of the beach that morning.  You will notice all the pebbles/rocks still left on the beach from the days/weeks/months/years before, much like the “rough stuff” in our lives, that doesn’t get “washed away” each day.  However, as you know, the sand and the surf work together with every wave break to help soften and smooth each jagged rock until after sometime the rock becomes a smooth pebble.  Soon that pebble becomes smaller and smaller and the parts that wear away actually become part of the landscape.  In fact, the daily wearing away actually helps to replenish the beach and add to its content and beauty!

I like to think that like those rocks, our problems, with time, also become less prominent and painful and soon wear away to actually help to contribute to the beautiful landscape of our lives.  That is, if we allow for the irritation of the sand to rub up against the problem and the occasional “beating up” of the waves to help cleanse it; meaning, we’ve got to position the problem in a place where it’s going to be dealt with and that’s not always going to be comfortable; but the closer the rocks are to the water, the faster they get worn away. You can probably guess what that means.

Today, I bless you with courage and tenacity and with the vision of hope that helps you to see that sometimes, problems can be the opportunity to add to the richness and beauty of the landscape of the beach that is your life.

-Tessa L. Charles