Maybe I’m a little strange Okay, I know I’m a more than a little strange, but I am thinking I may not be alone on this one. When you’re talking with someone who is by the ocean do you ever suddenly remember the scent of the sea, hear the slow crashing of waves, and feel a cool ocean breeze?

This afternoon I had the pleasure of talking with someone who lives on the ocean… like right off of one of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California. When she mentioned walking her dog on the beach I swear there was a change in the air in my office. Suddenly I was no longer in Wisconsin, I was on the coast. The funny thing is that while I immediately pictured an amalgamation of several of my favorite beaches they fit perfectly into a uniform whole. There was the smell of salt water and ocean in the cool breeze blowing in from across the sea. It took all my concentration to stay focused on the conversation at hand as opposed to drifting off to memories of perfect days at the beach. When she mentioned spending time on the beach meditating that same sensation of being at the coast rolled right back over me. It was awesome!

COVID took much of the wind out of the sails of traveling to the ocean this year. In times like this I’m thankful for the memories I’ve already made by the ocean and for the dreams I have that I’ll live one day of being back (and possibly living there for extended lengths of time). While I can’t be at the ocean right now I can remember to use my passion for being on the coast to fuel future dreams while also creating smiles from excellent memories.

Ahh… the ocean… the beach… the coast… I may be missing you now, but I’ll be back before you know. In the meantime I’ll keep smiling as I look back to memories made by the sea.

Thanks!!!