I love mindfulness, meditation, stillness, whichever word you wish to apply to moments throughout the day when, no matter what you’re doing, you stop, close your eyes, slow and deepen your breathing, slow and steady your heart rate, and linger in a place of physical, mental, and emotional peace until you’re ready to return to the world with a strengthened heart and restored spirit.
I like that you can take this practice with you anywhere, like a secret weapon, ready to pull out whenever life goes wonky or people give in to their mean side or your body just decides to feel frazzled.
But I also love those precious moments when you can steal away to a place of peace, a place where the very surroundings calm, steady, and ground you.
Like the beach.
Last week my friend Ann asked if I’d like to accompany her to Brisbane for the day, so we packed water bottles and snacks and headed over the mountains to the coast. We popped into bead shops and thrift stores, European delis and Greek food shops, and took a few moments away from our errands to have fish and chips at Wynnum Pier with my friend (and Ann’s daughter) Lizzie.
It never ceases to amaze me how even an hour at the beach can restore your spirits immeasurably, and linger with you long after you drive away.
It was sheer bliss to feel hot sun on my face and shoulders, salty breezes tossing my hair this way and that as we found treasures in the sand like this banksia cone. I’d never seen banksia before I came to Australia, and I find it incredible that the cheery and soft yellow blossoms above become these equally beautiful cones.
We watched people wading in the water, kids screaming with laughter, others strolling quietly along the beach lost in their own thoughts.
I found a seagull feather and watched boys racing each other through the trees, gasping for air as they shouted, “Again!”
I love the air at the beach, so fresh and cool and briny, especially as Autumn deepens and the fierce heat of summer dissipates.
Bear and I often talk about retiring to the beach, finding a little spot just for us where we can fish and look for treasures in the sand and potter away at our crafts and projects. But we always return to our beloved farm, a sense of belonging and welcome engulfing us as we descend over the mountains to the rolling hills of the Darling Downs.
For now we are happy for jaunts to the beach, for pleasurable hours sitting under the shade of palm trees, watching seagulls hop ever closer hoping for a nip at our fish and chips.
All too soon it was time to leave, to get back to school and work and chores. We took one last look at ocean waves and sand that seemed to ripple in the heat, nodded farewell to the gulls and headed back home to the people and things we love.
Where is your favorite place to go to restore your spirits? xo
Amazing view of the beach. You found some nice fruits of nature to look at, too 🙂
Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx
I sure did, @GourmetGetaway:disqus 🙂 I love those banksia cones so much.
Yesterday I went on a picnic solo, treated myself to some delectable impromptu creations, listened to the wind beneath the boughs, and watched the chipmunks scurry. This replenished my soul to move to my own rhythm.
That sounds absolutely exquisite, Val. 🙂 XO
“Darling Downs”! I think you have the very best of both worlds! Enjoy – Enjoy!
http://mlleparadis.blogspot.com
I think you are quite right, paradis. I feel so lucky to live here. 🙂
The beach is so good for the mind, body and soul!
It really is, dear @liz_posmyk:disqus Just looking at these pictures again makes me breathe easier. 🙂
Your title immediately caught my eye~! And yes… I completely concur that just a little time at the beach can do wonders for the spirit. I feel so lucky to live just a few miles from our coastline, and lucky again that I get to visit nearly every day. It’s my happy place!
I thought of you as I wrote this post, @kimlivlife:disqus, knowing how amazingly close your beloved ocean is to you. 🙂
I do think getting into the great outdoors is very therapeutic and very good for the soul. We live near the beach and when I need to clear my head and bring some restoration, I do head down to the beach. It’s a great place to be any time of the day or night xx
How wonderful to be so close to the beach, Charlie. 🙂 I love your posts of the places you find with your family for boating and swimming. 🙂
I need a day away like this. I’m only 5 minutes away from the beach and here I sit. Lovely photos!
One day, @OrgasmicChef:disqus I will come pick you up and we will go sit on the beach and soak it all in. 🙂
the sea does it for me every time! We are lucky to live in farm country with the sea a few km’s away 🙂
How amazing, @tandysinclair:disqus ! Truly the best of both worlds. 🙂
The beach every time. Especially with a dog.
Ohhh, my dogs would love the beach too, @disqus_xRgkTDNCQJ:disqus 🙂
This sounds absolutely wonderful, Krista. My happy place is anywhere outside but especially the beach and trees.
Yes, we are true kindred spirits in that regard, @breannemosher:disqus 🙂
I love a brisk walk in an old neighbourhood, preferably with the freedom to follow my feet and feast my eyes on whatever quirks and gems they meet along the way. Last Wednesday I had a spare twenty minutes before my choir’s dress rehearsal in the heart of downtown. I took a turn around a few blocks a stumbled upon an old brick mansion nestled among the highrises, a fence of wrought-iron musical score, and a boardwalk staircase that looked suspiciously like someone’s outdoor bedroom. It refreshed my spirits as much as my muscles.
What a marvelous discovery, @rachelfriesen:disqus 🙂 I feel inspired and intrigued just reading about it, let alone seeing it. 🙂
The neighbourhood walk is pretty good, but so also, the bottom of the garden just pottering. Here are some useless data for you on Banksias, Krista. Their flowers are ‘symmetrical’ and they often need a bushfire for the seeds to germinate. The most interesting ‘fact’ is that, across the many varieties, they can be soft enough to use as a make-up brush, through gentle hair brush all the way to hard enough for a wire brush to strip flaking paint 🙂
Oh my. I am so desperately jealous of your beach time. It’s a top of 11 degrees here today, all the blinds are downtown keep the warm in, it’s rainy and yuk. Siiiigh! Right now, a trip to the beach or some place warm would be just the thing to restore my spirits. That and a big warm hug from the guy I kinda like. 🙂
I do so love any pictures from the beach. What are you holding that looks like a pinecone?