I just got back from a great little beach getaway weekend.  Mama needed the ocean, so I had planned a solo beach weekend to myself.  But then I realized how much I’ve missed my little man, so I decided to bring Co with me. 😉  We had a wonderful weekend.  He’s such a trooper on these long drives!  He’s a road trip pro.  We had a sunny, easy drive down there and back, and it was the perfect mix of Co time and Me time.

I took myself out on a date one night while we were there.  I went and sat on the beach and read to my heart’s content in the sunshine and then had dinner at a little burger joint overlooking the ocean.  It was the first place Kathy (my mother-in-law) took us our very first visit to New Smyrna Beach.  I filled my belly with a burger and cider, and then I went and walked the boardwalk and found a place to settle down and journal for a bit.  It started to get dark, so I made my way to a little cafe for a coffee and more writing.

I ended up walking the beach for a while as I slowly made my way back toward the car.  I put my things in the car and figured I should probably just head home.  It was about 9:45 at that point, so I knew the practical thing would be to leave, but the ocean was calling to me!  So I decided to grab a towel from the car and just go sit and take it all in.  That’s what I’m here for anyway, right?  So I walk down and sit down, about 20-30 feet from the highest tide-line.  I breathe.  I’m still.  I listen.  I feel.  I look.  I be.  I take deep breaths and close my eyes.

After a few minutes of all this, I open my eyes and look ahead, and there’s this fiery orange on the horizon.  It grew and looked like it billowed through the the air.  WTF?! I was thinking.  I thought, Is something on fire??  Or is that a big ship with bright neon orange lights?  Oil rig take blaze?  Finally the fucking aliens??  It kept getting bigger, and I was kinda freaking out for a second, looking around to the others on the beach to see if anyone else was catching this.  I was so confused.  After a few minutes that felt like a confused eternity, the image on the horizon shifted a little more for me to realize what it was.  I was seeing the moon rise.  LOL.  I had no idea it was gonna happen.  It lit up the whole sky and blew my heart and mind away.  To think I could have missed that if I’d bowed out earlier instead of following my gut, that intuition that knows what Spirit is trying to tell me.  Spirit wanted me to see that moon rise.  I sat just blown away in awe, unable to take my eyes off of what was rising in front of (and within) me.  As it rose up in the sky and changed from fiery orange to its usual white and gray, I noticed that the tide had moved up.  There was one point where I had to jump to attention, ready to get on my feet and grab my towel as the water quickly approached me.  I literally laughed out loud, “Oh, funny one, Moon… I see you there!” haha!  It was amazing. 🙂

I finally peeled myself away from the beach and went home.  By then, the moon had fully risen, so I had a nice yoga and meditation session under the moonlight back at the house.  It was heaven.

I was so blown away by the spontaneous beauty I found before me.  I had no idea what I was in for.  So, I had to relive the magic the next night.  I got Cohen down to sleep and then headed out to the beach again to see the moon rise.  I got there around 9:30, assuming it would still rise at the same time as the day before, so 9:45-9:50ish.  I found a good spot, stretched, did some yoga, and settled in.  As I’m waiting for the show to begin, I decided to Google moon rise times and found that it actually didn’t rise until 10:34. ha!  So, I had about 45 minutes to spare.  Always finding any excuse to get a yummy snack, I decided to walk down for an ice cream cone from our favorite beach treat spot.  I got my cone and then walked back to my spot to settle in.  Within a few minutes, the show began.

Even though I was ready for it this time, I was still shocked and enamored with what was before me.  I wish I could have captured it better on camera instead of just my crappy cell phone pics.  Even though I tried, none of them really did it justice.  It was just amazing.  The beauty.  The light.  The clarity.  The power.  That’s what I saw in the moon rise that night, and it made me feel alive and invigorated.  It just puts so much into perspective.  The simplest beauty can have such a profound impact.  I want my soul to light up the world like that moon lit up that water.  There’s so much beauty around me if I just take the time to look for it.  Moonrises and sunrises like that happen all the time.  Everyday in fact.  If only they were appreciated more.  We just don’t take the time to connect like that anymore.  Our cycles and priorities are all off.  But I’m ready to get back in tune.  I can’t wait any longer.  The world needs the gifts I have to give.  My children especially.  I wanna coach, counsel, and change the world?  Start with my own kids then.  Coach them.  Counsel them.  Change the world by changing their outlook to be different from mine.  Make them better than I ever was, or ever could be.  Fix  my mistakes so they don’t do the same.

That moon though…

Spirit, thank you for these gifts.  For this precious time and the space to just BE.  Thank you for the gift of the moon, for telling me to go back to the beach that night.  So much beauty everywhere…. <3