I Choose to Swim

This was my view at Melbourne Beach yesterday with my sister.

Such rich color with so much depth. The current was quite strong, and the waves were steadily rolling. We had the benefit of a mostly empty beach, toasty warm sunshine, a perfect breeze, and the sound of the vast expanse in front of us.

Although my sis and I were enjoying this experience together, we both found ourselves in a quiet place of reflection.

Quiet reflection has become a familiar and frequent place for me. It is in that place that my thoughts become very loud, and I have to focus and to listen intently. Writing is a way to release the burdens I may feel or the fears I may have and to focus on my faith, to put in black and white all of the reasons I am hopeful, open to friendship, change, and love, and confident that I am worthy of those things. Gratitude comes easily these days.

Our lives are much like this beach - sometimes crowded and sometimes quite empty. We can choose quality friends and partners with whom to have the experience. Waves constantly roll in which may knock us down but we may choose to recover from those waves giggling at the event. As the tide rises and falls, we may need to adjust our position, and new surprises may be revealed.

So much is developing beneath the surface, and we miss out on opportunities to experience that beauty if we aren’t willing to dive in. If we never learn to swim, our journey is quite shallow.

I choose to swim.