Lessons from the beach - the scenery

I was walking the shoreline with my family and dog last evening. I've never walked the beach at sunset before. Oh, I've seen sunsets over the water. I've watched them from the pier, or from the city beach, but I've never gone out to walk and watch this. I've really never seen anything like it before. As I looked up the beach toward the light house, the moon was shining bright just above the lighthouse, and there was a planet making an amazingly bright spot in the sky just above the moon. All the colors of the rainbow were painted across the sky, stretching from the lighthouse out to the slightly foggy horizon. Incredible!

It was a magical moment in my life. Not magical in the sense that something amazing happened, or there was a specific moment to remember forever. It was magical in that it brought awe back to me. I guess I had really gotten caught up in the "to do" of my life. Things have been busy with moving, a new homeschool group, and ReclaimU shifting into the next gear. I knew I had taken a step back from some of my usual rituals and routines, but I hadn't realized that my focus had changed.

As we walk the path called life, we are always looking toward something. It's just like walking a trail through the woods, or a sidewalk on the street. You are looking at something, the question is where you decide to put your attention. Are you looking straight ahead, focusing on the furthest point and getting there as quickly as possible? Are you looking down at your feet, making sure you don't stumble? Or perhaps you are looking around you at people or trees, taking in the "scenery" and appreciating the beauty in it. These are all possibilities and normally I do a bit of each, spending the most time looking at nature all around me. Regularly I'll look ahead to make sure I'm still heading in the direction I want to go, and periodically I glance down to make sure I don't trip over a big root or bump.

My time at the beach that evening showed me I had gotten caught up in charging straight ahead and looking down for things that could trip me up; I had forgotten to look around and truly enjoy the beauty surrounding me.