Mindful Hack #82

I feel very lucky to be able to say that I had the opportunity to visit with the ocean for the first time in what seems like a very long time. As I walked along the beach, like a bit of a crazy person I spoke to it – marveling at its size, power, beauty, but mostly its stillness. It doesn’t matter what’s happening on the surface – there’s always a constant, natural life force happening in its depths.

Getting “back to the grind” is arguably the worst part of a vacation (even more so than laundry), and to say I was able to keep my stress levels at bay yesterday would be a blatant lie. And since I had relinquished control over my own better self, I was no peach to be around (thanks for being patient with me, Honey).

I awoke this morning with a start, instantly panicked about the too-many-things-to-do list reeling in my mind. Still pitch dark and an hour before the alarm would go off, I got up and decided to get right to it. I found myself longing to be looking at that ocean again, then remembered what I saw when I was able to look at it – the calm serenity beneath whatever was going on at the surface. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and tapped into my own inner calm, bringing to mind that the things on the to-do lists are just things that will get done, somehow, and pass, just as everything does. The inner peace, however, is constant – if only I create the space to find it.

Especially with the pressures and stressors of the holiday season upon us, it’s so important that we take extra good care of ourselves. So this week, I’ll share with you what I plan on putting into practice in the coming weeks:

When things feel stormy at the surface, remember you can dive down to where it's steadier. Like the sea, there is always calm deep within.