Get Your Feet Wet

LEARNING CURVE ALERT – This post is a semi do-over from last week.  I was on the road and posting while tired, indecisive and not completely sure how to handle the technology of deleting a post and substituting another.  The result?  A blog post that was missing the main graphic,  featured two posts back to back and a video link that didn’t work.  I’m sending the second post again complete with the video link included.  Expect a brand new post on Thursday.

Several times a week I hike on the beach in the morning.  In addition to the exercise and listening to the inflow of ideas that come, I love to collect sea glass. The best place to find sea glass is along the shoreline because wet sea glass is easier to see.

Recently as I was scurrying to reach a tiny piece of cobalt blue – my favorite – the surf caught me.  My first reaction was,  “dang it, I got wet” and that this was a bad thing. The hems of my jeans were damp, my boots would dry out over night. It really wasn’t a big deal when I thought about it.

Some juicy questions then started coming to mind.  If the treasures I seek are so close to the shoreline, why don’t my feet get wet more often? If what I want is just out of my reach, am I willing to get wet to get it?

The shoreline is another example of where we “stay between the lines”.  Do what’s expected, don’t upset the status quo, don’t cause anyone or myself discomfort, don’t get our feet wet.

Let the beauty we love be what we do.

There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. – Rumi

Our natural creativity is how we kneel and kiss the ground – metaphorically speaking – because doing what we love is an act of gratitude and deep appreciation for the gifts we’ve been given. Do what you love simply because you love doing it – even if you get your feet wet.

Don’t miss this video!

Elk in a puddle

Practice

Kneel and kiss the ground.  Ignore the to-do list and litany of “shoulds” and take a day off for yourself to let the beauty you love be what you do.  Spend time in nature without an agenda, make something with your hands, plant flowers, offer a kindness to someone, travel to a place you’d like to explore, prepare a healthy and delicious meal.  Do whatever you love to do.  If you want to build a nest and lie in bed all day writing poetry or reading a great book, do that.

If you have trouble coming up with something that you love, think about what you loved when you were a kid. If what you’re thinking about invokes even the slightest hint of guilt or feeling that you’re being selfish, you’re probably on the right track.