A Walk on the Beach Made Me Think

I do this walk a couple of times a week, a portion of it's trail, and the rest of it is sand. I was walking this morning, the tide was high, there was little room for walking, and I caught myself focusing on each and every step I took. My thoughts and awareness, were not on the beauty that I was surrounded with...they were on my steps, and making sure that I was steady on the loosely packed sand.

It made me think, how many of us are so focused on the path that we are on... each and every step, calculating and worrying about every move?? What if we were to stop thinking so much, and took the time to be grateful for the small things? To appreciate the beauty around us? A smile from a stranger. The clothes on our back. The color of the sky. The beauty of the ocean. The sound of our families. The smell of our food. Our own uniqueness.....

If we all got down to basics, would it ease the struggles? Times are hard for many people right now, and there's always someone who is struggling more than you or me. Maybe it wouldn't take away your worries about paying the mortgage or rent. Maybe it wouldn't ease the exhaustion you're feeling from working two jobs. Maybe it wouldn't ease the pain or the loneliness that some are feeling. But maybe, if in those moments, we are able to see the beauty in the small things....we will open ourselves up to something more. An appreciation for the basics. Maybe we'll become the one who starts smiling at strangers, even if we're not feeling particularly overjoyed. Maybe that stranger appreciates that single smile, in that one moment...and passes it on.....and so on.

Calculated moves, worry, and meticulous planning, don't always bring the results we hope for. Maybe a few moments of appreciation, and awareness is all it takes to open the door to a new opportunity, or a new outlook on what the day will bring. One moment of awareness is all it could take to make a difference in one life or many.....wow. I got all that from a walk on the beach?....  :)