Just You, Me, and the Sea

from left to right and top to bottom: Seagull photo, naturalist poster, lobster print, lobster shack, beach combing photo 

The school days schedule is in full swing now.  Every morning my mental alarm goes off way before I'm ready and I have to leave my warm bed for another day of chauffeuring my children to and from school and activities and working the 8 to 5 in between.  Those lovely summer days at the beach seem ages ago now.  In fact looking at these photos, I can hardly believe it was only a couple of months ago that I was here soaking up the sunshine and the sea air.

Clothing is a memory spark for me.  There are many things I don't keep readily accessible in my memory, but when I see a certain dress or top or scarf, there's a flood of where I was when I bought it and all the places to which I wore it and what happened how it felt etc.  In some ways, my clothes are just like photo albums because they can contain so many memorable moments that I wouldn't save otherwise.

I suppose that's why I'm a bit of a clothes horse.  All the emotions linked to my clothes make it hard to part with anything.  If I have something for which I feel nothing at all, it probably means I never got around to wearing it and so it's time to let it go.  And I learned a long time ago that if something bad happens (like the time my  then boyfriend yelled at me when I was wearing a beautiful new red top), I usually get rid of that piece of clothing so I don't have to relive the bad memories each time I see it.  Makes sense, right?

Life is far to short to keep mementos of hurts and wrongs we've suffered whether it's a piece of clothing or just a bitterness in our hearts.  There's no sense waiting for a beach vacation or a holiday to create good moments.  Each day should be filled with as much joy and laughter as we can possibly fit into it.  And there's no point in holding onto anything that does not bring us joy or serve a good purpose  because my sink full of dirty dishes doesn't bring me joy, but I can't exactly get rid of them.  

What I can do is learn to see the positive (ie those dishes belong to the people that I love and I am glad that they are here and well fed) or to learn to let things go and cast them into the sea of forgetfulness.  Or the give away bag.  or the trash bin as the case may be.  Whatever it is--memories, ugly words, disappointments--I have to get them away from me so that I can live life to its fullest and stand here on this lovely morning or any other and just be.  I encourage you to do the same.  

I've always loved that phrase "the sea of forgetfulness" for its beautiful poetry.  As I stand on the shores of this great ocean, I imagine it being a place where hurts are lost, simply forgotten, and how large it is with plenty of room to encompass it all and then some.  It all starts with forgiveness, even just closing your eyes, remembering what happened and then whispering "I forgive."  When you open your eyes you're no longer carrying that weight.  It's just you.  Just me.  And the sea.

Shopping Info:  Lobster Dress from Ebay.com,