Wake Up Goddess

The sand was cool under my feet as I made my way out to the water. The first of the sun’s rays were just starting to peak out over the low clouds on the horizon.

A few fishermen dotted the shoreline, but the morning was quite, peaceful in a way that can only be grasped during the dawn ~ that in-between time that’s neither night nor day when endless possibilities exist.

I love this time of day. And I’m thankful to have given myself this gift. When I reach the water I’m tempted to jump in right away. But I walk first, letting my toes sink into the sand as the waves roll up to tickle my ankles. The water seems warm in the comparative coolness of the pre-dawn day.

Colorful seashells and broken coral dot the beach like tiny treasures laid out in the most provocative designs. Like some ancient code, they seem to convey a message just waiting to be discovered or read from the sky by the gods themselves.

Occasionally I reach down to hold one of these shells in my hands just to feel it ~ its shape, its ridges and lines ~ before casting it back in the ocean. The birds fly overhead and the sound of the waves lapping in around me quiets my mind and soothes my soul as nothing else does.

I let my thoughts roll in and out like the tides themselves, not holding on to any too long, but letting them recede back into the sea of my mind before they become murky or stagnant.

I’m a good two miles into my walk before I feel my shoulders drop and release the final strands of tension they’ve been holding on to. “You’ve been working too hard,” I tell myself. But the only thing that matters in this time and this space are the waves and the sand and the birds. All other concerns drift away.

When I reach the part of the beach where the rocks are exposed like craters on some distant planet, I think about the times when my son was little and we would bring him here to explore. I remember his delight at finding tiny shrimp and crabs tucked away in the crevasses and seeing little silver fish swimming about in their temporary tidal pools. How long ago that all seems now…

As I continue my walk I’m at times tempted to jump into the water, but I decide to wait ~ to allow myself the tingle of anticipation of the coming reward. I feel the sweat now begin to drip off of my brow as the sun claims its rightful place in the sky and the heat of the day begins to shine through every aspect of the morning.

When I finally dive into the water all of my senses are awakened. I breathe in the sea air and taste the salt water on my tongue. The water is so clear that I can see all the way to the bottom to the tiny silver fish that circle my legs and nibble at my calves. I try to stand very still so as not to disturb them, so that they think I’m part of the ocean itself.  

Then I lay back feel the coolness of the ocean water supporting me as I let my body relax on its calm surface. The music of the shells gently rubbing together as the waves ebb and flow is like the sound of a child’s voice to a mother’s ear. The waves rock me softly and sing me a lullaby as I allow my body to float on the water and my spirit to float in the ether above. I am at once connected to all and yet blissfully detached. I am at peace and I am grateful for this eternal moment.