After Hurricane Sandy, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived in Ocean City, Maryland this past Sunday.
Our local news said there was quite a bit of damage, but I didn’t see much, other than beach erosion and some problems at the other end of the boardwalk.
I went to the ocean for a Convocation, a kind of spiritual retreat. I needed it more than I realized, and as I sat on my balcony and saw the beach and ocean waves, I knew this is where I was supposed to be for a couple of days.
Although I’ve made trips to the beach over the last couple of years, it’s been forever since I’ve spent real time there, and I was not disappointed with my visit. Do you have a place where you escape from time to time, looking for a recharge?
For me, it’s the ocean. Walking on the beach, praying and thinking, enjoying the cold wind on my face, a peace flooded over me. There were very few others on the beach, and more than once, I was all by myself as I walked along the shore.
In my mind, I was thinking about how said it was that in the busy-ness of my life, I hadn’t made time to make it to the ocean for a really long time. I made the commitment to myself that I wouldn’t let that happen again. The trip is downright cheap in the fall. They probably pay you to stay there in the winter 🙂
In the end, I was reminded of the importance of taking care of ourselves. Many people I know have been absolutely drained by the election race that ended very late last night.
Now, in more ways than one, it’s time to take care of ourselves a bit, getting our spiritual house in order, and de-stress, if that’s what we need.
As I left Ocean City, I drove with a sense of peace that I hadn’t felt for a while. I was grateful for it, and I promised myself that it wouldn’t be too long until I would walk on the beach again. It was just what the doctor ordered.
