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One of my favorite things about wandering along the ocean is that I never quite know what I’m going to find, or what might find me.
This weekend, it was the sandpipers.
These delightful little birds, with their quick & fancy footwork, racing up and down the shoreline, create a beautifully choreographed shoreside dance.
As the waves retreat, they rush toward the water, combing the freshly exposed sand for tiny treasures. And just as the next wave rolls in, off they go again, scurrying back up the beach.
Over and over, together, in unison. I could watch them for hours as it feels like a soothing meditation the way in which they flow with the salt water moving up and down the beach
There’s something so lovely about the way they groove with the ocean rather than against it. They don’t try to stop the waves from coming or hold on to the shoreline as it was a moment before. They simply respond to what’s in front of them, finding nourishment in whatever the tide reveals.
Watching them this morning had me thinking about how much of our lives we spend trying to hold on to what we have, prevent what we fear, or make something happen before its time.
I thought about how exhausting it can be to fight against the tides, insisting that life unfold differently than it is. And how sometimes it’s the very waves that disrupt our carefully arranged lives that leave something valuable behind that we never would have had if the wave hadn’t crashed in the way they did.
The treasures from what those waves leave behind aren’t always easy to recognize, though. Sometimes we’re so busy mourning what the ocean has carried away, or worrying about the next wave, that we miss what’s right there at our feet.
If you watch the sandpipers, though, you notice they don’t do their shoreside dance or search for morsels of nourishment on their own. They do it with others.
Sometimes, we need the companionship of another person to help us see what we might otherwise overlook. Maybe it’s just a different perspective on the shore, a little encouragement for moving down the beach, or an acknowledgement of how much skill it takes to flow with the waves of life like these sandpipers do.
If you’re navigating some changing tides in your own life or relationships, I’d love to hear what’s happening for you.
I offer free 20 minute clarity calls. It’s a chance to connect, explore what you’re navigating, and see if coaching together might be supportive.
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