An Ocean at Rest

I've been away.  I spent the week after Christmas at the beach.  I watched  the sun set on another year of my life and another year on the calendar.  I like spending both of these events at the water's edge.  It is a wonderful spot to contemplate what has been as the past slips silently off the edge of the world...

or what can be as a new day rises gently out of the ocean.

I no longer make New Year's resolutions.  It is not that I do not have a lot to improve upon or things I want to accomplish.   I choose to look at changes on a daily basis; it is a daily workout.

One afternoon while sitting near the water I noticed the water was almost perfectly still.  There were no white caps.  The water was neither moving inland or away from the shore.  I suppose I've never thought about it, but there is a time between the ebb and flow when the ocean is at rest.

As I sat looking out over the water I realized I was holding my breath waiting for movement.  I think there is a lesson to be learned.  We try to move through different life stages seamlessly.  We even wear our flexibility like a badge of honor.    I like the idea that nature has built in a period of rest... time to heal, repair, accept change...find our footing again before sending us rushing in a different direction.

Yes, I am another year older, and after a time of enjoying the time between ebb and flow,  I can't wait to see what surprises await.

Happy 2012!