Colorado is a stunning yet land-locked state. I feel so blessed to have been born here. Our family was poor financially but we were rich in love, laughter, teasing, and compassion. We experienced an abundance of sunshine, tall majestic mountains, wandering streams and colorful wildflowers.
I grew up with seven brothers and sisters. We each got two pairs of shoes a year that I would covet. One pair was fancy for church, and the other was a pair of tennis shoes. We did all kinds of crazy things to stretch the food budget. Sometimes we would have a few cans of soda, divide them up among all of us and add water. We didn’t mind. We were thrilled to share a watered down version just to taste a soda.
As you can probably imagine, family vacations were rare. I remember two; Glenwood Hot Springs and the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes park. These were both 2-day mountain adventures that we all loved. Eventually, I got a scholarship and went off to college. I met people from around the globe and developed an intense case of wanderlust. I had a real thirst to travel the world and especially to experience the ocean.
I bought a 1956 rambler my freshman year that I named Fubsy. As soon as we finished with spring semester three girlfriends and I headed to California. We were determined to make the 21-hour drive without stopping and go straight to the ocean. I will never forget the “Bots Dots” quotation marks on the California freeway that kept me going at 5 a.m. and stopped me from drifting as my determination took me to the sea.
We went directly to Santa Monica beach. I parked the car, took off my shoes and ran directly into the water, clothes and all! I was splashing, laughing and falling over into the waves. I tasted the salt water on my tongue. I will always remember the feeling of the water enveloping me. I was, and I am, totally touched, from my outer skin to my inner soul, when I am at the ocean.
After that first experience, I started to find my sense of purpose. I vowed I would be on a beach at least once a year for the rest of my life, and have lived up to that promise tenfold.
Sometimes our oceans are proverbial and sometimes they are literal. When we reach midlife, our sense of purpose may change. We may feel like we’re treading water instead of running down the beach. We may feel like it’s time to find a new beach and dive in.
Of course Fubsy is long gone, but my love of the ocean lingers, and has profoundly impacted both my personal and professional life. My deep passions include personal coaching and facilitating women’s groups such as the Bury Your Weight in the Sand Wellness Retreat.
Wherever you are in this journey, isn’t it time to commit to your health, happiness and well-being? I can show you how.