I would walk to the beach every day, and then wander for miles in either direction. There were no Ipods or even Walkmans in those days, so quite often I would sing aloud to myself. I had the entire ‘Hotel California’ album memorized, so I would sing it start to finish, then throw in a few from the greatest hits record. If I was feeling especially lonely or melancholy, I would sing ‘Wichita Lineman’ or ‘Folsom Prison Blues’: my father’s favorite tunes. (Mom was into the Commodores, but I couldn’t hit the high notes.) My singing was out loud, but only for me. The sound of the waves drowned out my singing, so most people I passed never noticed.
Even though I went to the beach every day, it was never the same from one day to the next. Some days the sea would be calm and lovely; small waves lapping gently at the shore. The smallest of children could play in the water without any fear of being knocked down. The safest days … became boring quickly.
On other days, the sea behaved like an animal, pounding the beach as if it were trying to escape its cage. On these days the shoreline was rife with treasure: shells, sand dollars, odd, artful driftwood. I loved the beach on all the days I got to spend there.
Our lives are in a constant state of change. Some days everything goes our way: we get a promotion or a raise, hit all the green lights, find money unexpectedly. Some days, not so much. In the words of the prophets: “Shit Happens”.
It’s easy to feel gratitude on the good days. If we are to be serious about real gratitude, however, we must also learn to be genuinely grateful on the ‘bad’ days.
We can start by being grateful IN SPITE OF all that ‘bad’ stuff that is happening; we can find other, better, things to focus on and be grateful for. Eventually, though, we must learn to be grateful because those things are happening. We can, if we so choose, learn to find the positive in any situation.
The treasures on the beach are delivered there by the tempests. So, too in our lives are the blessings delivered.
We walk the Road. Most of the time we walk it alone, with only our minds, hearts and God (if we choose to let Him join us) on the journey. We can yearn for the ‘safe’, boring tide, or we can celebrate the wildness, the untamed passion that is life.
Walk a bit without distraction. Unplug from the world once in a while. Sing out loud for yourself in pure celebration of just being able to walk on the beach. It is Astonishing to be alive.
I am grateful for my struggle. I am grateful for the rough patches. I strive to see the treasure in every situation.
I don’t always succeed, but I won’t stop trying.
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