This post was originally written about four years ago and was probably the first time
I wrote about the restorative qualities of time spent at Butterfly Beach.
I kept personal posts off of the blog until the beginning of 2011 and am now
editing a few of them as I prepare to transfer my blog to a new site.
You'll note that we were both still working at this point in time.
You'll also notice that I write about some of the very same themes today.
Last week, the weather turned warm and balmy. Dick had been in southern CA working from Tues-Thurs and it was Friday, with an afternoon off for both of us. I came back from errand running and said, "Let's drive down to the beach!"
We each picked up a book to read, drove the two miles straight down the hill and parked on the slope of Channel Drive, just above this old cypress tree. With both front windows down, the moon-roof open and the seats leaning about as far back as we could get them, we slowly sank into the beauty of this place in which we are blessed to live.
Winter is the best time of the year at the beach in Santa Barbara. No tourists. No crowds. The sun sets directly over the water, the dolphins and sea lions come in close to the shore and the birds hang out in droves.
We are both tired, the kind of tired that seeps into your bones. The kind of tired that has little connection to how much sleep or exercise you're getting. It's the kind of tired that builds up over many months of watching people you love suffer greatly. It's the kind of tired that comes from grieving the death of someone dear, and the related losses that come with that: the death of dreams and hopes and plans.
We are both tired, the kind of tired that seeps into your bones. The kind of tired that has little connection to how much sleep or exercise you're getting. It's the kind of tired that builds up over many months of watching people you love suffer greatly. It's the kind of tired that comes from grieving the death of someone dear, and the related losses that come with that: the death of dreams and hopes and plans.
We know where this deep tiredness is coming from and we know it cannot be avoided. It's part and parcel of living to have to deal with grief and it cannot be gotten around, only walked through. But last Friday afternoon, we were so grateful for a chance to just sit and breathe in the beauty of God's world for a couple of hours.
Dick napped a little, I read a lot, and I just sat and looked out at the ocean a lot. The sight, sound and smell of the ocean is like medicine for what ails me - it truly brings healing and comfort. And a reminder that there is a bigness to God and to God's creation that can handle all the pain and struggle we suffer in this life. Perhaps even more powerfully true than that, it is a reminder to look for the beauty around us, wherever it can be found. And to take a little time to savor it and let it speak.
