As I was strolling down the beach on a bright and sunny morning, my feet splashed through the cool ocean water. With each step a sense of peace washed through me. I knew there was something very special and magical about this day that was just beginning.
I was truly choosing to “live in the moment” with my spontaneous decision to detour to the beach, which is about an hour from my home. I wondered what gifts this day would bring. Never did I think that the gift would be broken sand dollars I happened upon during my walk.
As my feet made their way down the sandy beach, with the sun shining on me, I glanced down into the ocean water seeing what appeared to be a whole sand dollar. I picked it up and discovered that the top was broken like so many I’d found and discarded over the years.
But TODAY something was different. At that exact moment of picking up the sand dollar I realized how perfectly it represented our lives.
Like the weathered sand dollar, each one of us experiences our own weathering in life. We endure struggles and pain as part of our growth. Some of us have more challenges to overcome than others. Some of us ride the waves easier while others get constantly pushed against the rocky reefs of life.
Although it’s sometimes a necessary part of growing, it can also leave us feeling battered and broken. We may come out of difficult times seeing ourselves as anything less than whole.
The gift and insight for me was the realization that I could choose to focus on the side of the sand dollar that was broken OR I could choose to focus on the side that was whole. Same sand dollar, different perspective.
In our own lives we can see ourselves and others as broken, damaged, and weathered. Or we can see the beauty, the perfection, and the wholeness that we are as individuals.
We have the choice to direct our thoughts and beliefs in a positive way, seeing the true miracles that each one of us embodies as humans. In reality each struggle and difficulty we ride through adds to our individual beauty and depth.
As I continued my stroll down the beach, with a new spring in my step and a smile on my face, I came upon sand dollar after sand dollar weathered on one side and whole on the other side. And each time one caught my attention I ended up with one more “perfect” sand dollar in my hand.
Two hours and twenty-eight sand dollars later, there was no doubt in my mind that the Universe had given me a gift. The gift was profound insight delivered through the beautiful treasures I found during my time on the beach.
So as we step through each moment of our life may we remember that it’s all about perspective. We can choose to see the problems and imperfections OR we can choose to see our own beauty and perfection. We may be weathered but we are PERFECTLY WHOLE.
