Standing at the Ocean's Edge

Have you ever noticed that when you stand at the ocean’s edge with your feet in the sand, the sand shifts?  If you continue to just stand, allowing the waves to flow over your feet, eventually the water pulls the sand out from under you and your feet sink in.  You have to keep moving your feet in order to keep your balance and not get sucked away by the waves. 

Hearing the ocean’s roar and feeling the waves against my feet, I was struck with the realization that this a great metaphor for the flow of life. We can either choose to stay “stuck” and allow life’s current and circumstances to pull the foundation out from under us or we can move our feet and allow a new foundation to settle in.  

I don’t know about you, but I have been feeling the “shifting” sand beneath my feet. Life can feel chaotic at times and we are often uncertain about which way to step. I always like knowing the outcome so that I can feel safe. Sound familiar?  But I have noticed if I can trust, even just a little bit, then I can move my feet, shift my weight or my focus, and begin to watch as the Universe fills in the blanks for me.  

Recognizing life is dynamic and always flowing or shifting seems to be the best way to surf the challenges confronting us. As Gandhi once said, “The only constant is change.”  

But how do you trust the wave isn’t going to knock you down and take you out to sea?  Or that the sharks aren’t going to attack you as you surf your way to shore?  

My best answer is to make sure part of your foundation is set on: 

1. Open hearted love, especially for yourself. And the courage to face the on coming waves of change.
2. The Willingness to get rid of the driftwood of beliefs and thoughts that have kept you stuck or standing still in the water. 
3. The ability to embrace whatever change is happening in your life and not reject it out of fear of the unknown. 

Allowing the sand to shift beneath your feet and keep them moving as you navigate the new currents in your life is something that takes practice and awareness.  A child at the edge of the ocean loves to run into and out of the waves for the shear thrill and joy of the adventure.  Become a child.  Wiggle your toes in the sand and open your mind to new possibilities for your life.

Notice the waves ebb and flow and trust no matter what the outcome, it will have shifted you into a newer and more authentic expression of yourself.