Beach Walking as a Way to Calm the Soul

Life's a beach... no, really!

Beach combing — and just walking on a beach — is one of my favorite things to do, in life.

There are family pictures of me — at maybe age four or five — slowly making my way down the beach near where I grew up, carrying my little red bucket to "collect" anything interesting I might find along the way.

Whereas I know the adults found it "adorable," I also know that my mom would only let me keep one thing I found on any given outing... but that never deterred me from filling my bucket every single time we went!

I suppose we all have our own ways to find a calm space in the midst of a stressful world.

"Meditation" is often cited as a good way to help oneself stay centered, but I've found that people use very different ways to meditate and find calm within.

Personally, I've never been much good at just "sitting down and meditating" in some quiet room. As a result of having attended a variety of workshops, I know how to do so, but I just never felt the benefits some people do.

A subsequent friend of mine was all about his "walking meditations" and he would even lead walking meditation groups.

After going along with his group a few times, I realized how similar my beach combing "habit" really was to his walking meditation... although I had never previously regarded it as "a meditation," in the strict sense of the word.

The effects — and benefits — have definitely been every bit as powerful as traditional meditation, and it has helped me through many difficult periods of my life. In fact, I would go so far as to submit that it kept me from seriously hurting myself when I was a teenager... keeping in mind that I didn't actually know what I was doing, at that time.

All that 17-year old boy knew was that walking slowly at the edge of the sea for hours was the only way to get the "voices" to fade into the background and even disappear.

Of course, I love nature... in general. I often hike in the foothills near where I live, and I go for walks in a nearby state park... but I only get the true meditative effect from being on the beach.

I have never quite been able to put my finger on why it is that the ocean shore has this particular effect on me, but I don't question it anymore... I simply embrace the fact that I have this "power place" where I can make the rest of life's stresses vanish into insignificance.

And perhaps that is something we can all benefit from... even if that peacefulness isn't found on the beach.

I feel very blessed to be no more than a two-minute walk from water's edge here... and even though I don't actually keep count, I probably am there about 200 days (or more!) a year... even if just for a few minutes.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about finding moments of calm in the world. Perhaps it is because our times feel like they are so filled with turmoil — perhaps it is merely part of the process of aging.

Although — in my case — I've evidently valued this particular brand of peace since I was very young!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

How about you? Do you enjoy walking on the beach? Does doing so feel calming and meditative to you? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

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Created at 2024.05.25 00:33 PDT
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