Photo Essay: Ocean Meadow Flowers
Letting Go of Anxiety Down by the Seashore
Where is your favorite place to go wandering when you’re stressed?
Mine is the beach…or the woods…or around a pretty lake tucked up in the mountains…but especially the beach.
This weekend I got to go to a beautiful, rocky stretch of Washington coastline when I agreed to help chaperone a birthday party of giggling little girls armed with lime green plastic buckets, York Mint Patties, and Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips.
They had a marvelous time finding all sorts of treasures along the beach: crabs, clams and “Oreo rocks” (ones with black and white spots).
I went treasure-hunting too, only I used my camera instead of a bucket. I found weathered bits of driftwood, barnacle-encrusted rocks, and vivid green strips of seaweed draped along the shoreline.
And I sat. Just sat. Happy to let the sea breezes and gently lapping waves lull my stressed self into rest.
I’ve been stressing something fierce lately and don’t like it one bit.
I let anxiety about one traumatic event spill over into anxiety about everything. I let that experience cause me to doubt myself and be afraid of the future. I let a few bad things in my life overwhelm all the wonderful good.
I let those bits of darkness blot out the sun.
Being at the beach yesterday reminded me of how far I’ve strayed from peaceful well-being. With each cry of a gull, gust of salty air, and spray of seawater my body relaxed and my anxious thoughts settled. It was so lovely to feel totally, completely at rest again that I wanted to cry.
Driving home I knew that I wanted to hang onto that renewed peace and security. It was good to know that peace did not arrive because of a change in circumstances but simply through resting, being in nature, and thinking on true things. If I could find peace at the seashore, I could find it anywhere.
So this morning I drove to work early and sat in my car for a while writing, thinking, tearing up a bit when necessary.
- I wrote down my fears and they weren’t nearly so scary once I actually got them written down.
- I wrote down truth to combat those fears and felt braver and stronger.
- I wrote down good things I am going to do based on those truths and oh, the peace came flooding in.
So today is a good day. A braver, stronger, happier day. And I am grateful.
What do you do to regain your peace when it’s been rattled?
Finding Happiness and Loving Courage
Hello, luvs! Isn’t it a wonder, after a long phase of fear, grief and pain, to wake up and realize that you feel happy again? That smiles and laughter come without you forcing them? That you’re bravely doing things that only weeks before had you shaking in fright?
That’s what this week has been for me. A good, wonderful, surprising thing. And it makes me smile.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes when awful things happen and bad people hurt me, or illness wracks my body and I lose people I love, when the stresses of life seem to pile up higher and higher, I make things even worse by turning a magnifying glass on myself, quickly finding weaknesses and faults. Soon I’m questioning my worth, doubting my ability to make good decisions, and end up a puddle overwhelmed by fear and false guilt.
What. A. Mess.
Thankfully I’m getting better. 🙂 Those “puddle moments” aren’t as frequent and don’t last so long. I’m retraining myself to respond in healthy, positive ways and they’re becoming second nature instead of thoughts so foreign I don’t even know where to begin. That is lovely. 🙂
Thank you to so many of you who’ve written to tell me your stories of survival from assault and abuse. I cried with you, wanted to beat up the bad guys for you, and didn’t feel alone anymore. I hate that we go through wretched things in this world, but I’m so glad we have each other to provide comfort and hope along the way. I sure love you guys and wish I could hug you tight.
I’ve been thinking a lot about courage lately. It’s a word usually associated with great acts, mighty feats of bravery, but I’ve come to match it up with much different things:
- my friend M who is starting her own business even though she’s in constant physical pain and afraid of failure.
- my friend K who roasts marshmallows and makes jewelry even though she’s reeling from the death of her dad and the abandonment of her husband.
- my fellow cult-survivors who are going public with their stories even though they’re scared, just so they can rescue and protect others still trapped in that awful place.
- my friend J who plants gorgeous gardens even though she’s achingly lonely so far away from all her children and extended family.
- my friend E who moved to Greece to build a beautiful life for her two children after escaping an abusive husband.
- my friend B who plays with her little girl even though she’s grieving the loss of her twins.
- my other friend B who takes pictures of beautiful things even though she can barely function after chemotherapy.
- my married friends who are going to counseling even though they’re scared, because they know they’re worth fighting for.
I love this sort of courage, the kind of bravery that chooses to LIVE when even life itself seems be trying to make us give up.
What is your act of courage today? I’d love to hear about it. Your courage gives me strength.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend, dear ones.
Much love,
Krista
xo
Australia: How to Really Enjoy a Drive Home
It was a gloriously hot and sunshiny afternoon in Australia as my friend and I drove home. We had spent the day visiting friends on their remote property dotted with gum trees the occasional wallaby hopping by. We’d had a grand time taking tractor rides and gabbing for hours on the back porch while sipping cold drinks.
Usually after a long day of visiting and trekking all I want to do is get home so I can crash. But not this day. We were in Australia bush country at sunset and the tiny towns and farms were so beautiful and interesting that I wanted to stop at every one and take a gander.
Thankfully my friend was in a similar frame of mind so we took a meandering route home, stopping where we liked.
We saw picture perfect country homes with white picket fences and perused a barn full of rustic handmade wooden furniture glossy and glowing in the setting sun.
One of my favorite finds was this lovely old church in Leyburn, Queensland.
Church of England, St Augustine's, Leyburn, Queensland, Australia
Anglican services had been held in Leyburn since the 1840’s under the leadership of one Reverend Benjamin Glennie known as the Apostle of the Downs. The congregation gathered in public houses or the courthouse until 1870 when donations for a church arrived from students of the college of St Augustine in England. Land was purchased in for a whopping £4, and the church was built in 1871.
It’s a beautiful little church with timbered walls and bell-cote and a roof of hand-split hardwood shingles. It was designed by architect Richard George Suter (1827-1894) who also designed at least ten other churches in the area.
Suter caused quite a theological ruckus by deviating from traditional stone with this wood design. Apparently timber was viewed as an unsuitable material to be used in the construction of the houses of God. He got away with it, however, and it is now one of the only surviving examples of timbered, shingle-roofed buildings.
Church of England, St Augustine's, Leyburn, Queensland, Australia
If you make it to Leyburn one day and have a hankering to wander the church grounds, look for a memorial to one Dan Bray, a gold miner who died in 1901. It is a tribute to all the gold miners of Leyburn’s’ early history who lie in unmarked graves in unknown places.
I’m so glad we decided to stop that day. So glad to learn about men like Mr. Suter who do “wild” things like use timber instead of stone so we have charming buildings like St. Augustine’s to make us pull over in the middle of nowhere for an amble and a think.
Have you ever stopped out of the blue and found something that delighted you?
How to Take Travel from Good to Fabulous
What are your travel indulgences? Champagne at night? Hot tea every morning? Perhaps a pedicure or a truffle from a nearby chocolaterie?
When my dear friend Margo from The Travel Belles invited me to join her blog carnival on travel indulgences, I was happy but also momentarily stymied.
I confess I’m not much of a posh traveler. By the time I get somewhere I’ve usually spent most of my money on a plane ticket, hotel, and rental car, and have every other penny budgeted for food and whatnot.
But as I thought about it more I realized that indulgences don’t have to cost a lot of money.
They can be very simple, small, FREEÂ things that delight your heart, please your eye, and charm your stomach.
When I first started traveling, I would always bring a piece of home with me – usually in the form of a tablecloth that I would immediately drape over those ubiquitous small round tables you find in most hotel rooms. It instantly made the place cozier and “mine”. I’d also get up early while most folks were still tucked up in bed and go for long walks to see what I could find. And I love to take naps on hot afternoons when lines are long and streets crammed with folks rushing hither and thither.
Here are a few other indulgences I like to make part of every trip:
Boat rides.
I’m a sucker for boat rides. Whether it’s hiring a creaky old fishing boat for a jaunt around Alcatraz or catching a high speed ferry to Capri, I’m in!! I love being out on the water, the wind tossing my hair, sun browning my shoulders. All the stresses of travel melt away as I bob along. If you split the cost with an obliging friend or three, the trips are downright cheap. I’ve paid about $5 to be rowed across a turquoise lake in Slovenia, $2 for an ocean trek in Greece and about $7 to board a fishing vessel for an island tour in Croatia.
Good food
I rarely spend money on expensive souvenirs, but I’ll happily plunk down money for a memorable meal with lovely folks. My brother Ryan taught me long ago not to rely on guidebooks or hotel pamphlets for restaurant choices, but instead to turn to locals for recommendations. I ask them where they’d go for a special dinner or date night and I’ve never been steered wrong. If I can’t find someone to ask, or I don’t speak the language, I start my search around lunch time. I look for places that are filled with locals – a sure sign of good eating – and make sure to arrive early enough that night to get a table for dinner.
Scarves.
I adore scarves. The brighter the better. I don’t have a house full of cuckoo clocks from Germany or statues from Rome, but I have $2-$10 scarves from Ireland to Bosnia and they make me happy. They’re cheap, small and easy to pack, and gorgeous yet practical. I wear them year round and drape them over lamps or spread them along tabletops, and each time I see one I smile inside and remember the people, the country, the food and memories of that trip.
And how about you? What indulgences do you have that make your travels extra special?
For more ideas and inspiration visit The Travel Belles.
_logo.svg){kind=logo}
