January 2023. A New Year and another birthday a few days later. It’s a time for reflection, change, lists of hopes, long-term plans, redefining wants and needs, and simply finding ways for joy and fulfillment. My book club is finishing up The Untethered Soul by Micahel Singer, and one of my favorite quotes is, “Just embrace life with all of your heart and soul” (46). This will be my mantra for this coming year…keeping my heart open and joyfully welcoming opportunities, and new experiences, while letting go of past frustrations and expectations.
A tradition of my family has been to go to the beach for my birthday, even in the snow! The beach is my happy place; the sound, the smell, the feeling I get. This year it was mild so we headed up to nearby Maine to one of our all-time favorite beaches, Goose Rocks. The sugar-white sand is silky underfoot, while the emptiness of the seashore in winter is serene. Deep breaths in and even slower breaths out refocused me. Children are very perceptive, more than we tend to give them credit for. One by one, they ran and found rocks, smoothed by the ebb and flow of the waves. We like to collect ones that look like hearts. And of course, on this glorious day, we found just the right one. It’s larger than usual, rugged and jagged on one side, more rounded on the other. Smooth in some spots but rough on others. The color varies in shades of gray, and chips can be seen throughout nodding to the hard life under the ocean. Yet, its imperfections make it perfect for me. Our life as a family is not perfect, but in moments like these I want to savor for all time. The joy in my heart and soul are utterly overflowing and I can’t help but say a prayer of gratitude. I do hope, in my 46th year, I give a gift to my children. I want them to feel love, contentment, enthusiasm, and joy in life. I want them to find their own beaches, with loved ones by their sides. Happy, Happy❤︎
the Essentialist Family 