17 May Realistic Optimism
The beach.
Who doesn’t love the beach. I certainly do! And I love visiting the beach all year around. During Summer and warm weather, I enjoy either basking in the sun or taking a walk. During Winter, I could easily grab a coffee and sit at the ocean with my elixir whilst I contemplate whatever needs contemplation. Recently I got to enjoy the Winter sun and spend a good 40 minutes taking a walk on the beach.
Whilst walking, I became aware of the contrast quite literally at my feet. On the one end you had icy cold Hout Bay water washing up against my feet. On the other end you had beautiful, warm, white sand that was the very opposite of the water.
I was memorized by how these two components were so different and yet they were working together in perfect unison.
It made me think about the ups and downs of learning. We have moments when things come together and we are proud of what we have achieved. And then we have moments when things just don’t work out or they don’t make sense. Massive confusion and uncertainty are the themes of the day. You might feel discouraged to move on. But you have to remind yourself to keep walking. Put one foot in front of the other. And if that’s all you have energy for (one foot in front of the other) then that’s ok. Show yourself some love. Sometimes just doing the bare essentials takes everything out of us, especially during times of trauma.
And then, when you reach your destination, you can look back and see how far you’ve come. And you’ll be able to revel in the joy and the resilience that you have built along the way.
I hope, especially for those of us going through the most, that this short message spreads a bit of realistic optimism your way today.
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