Day 174: The Ocean Doesn't Wonder If It's Enough

This morning I read this beautiful passage from one of the daily lessons in A Course in Miracles.

"There is a light in you which cannot die; whose presence is so holy that the world is sanctified because of you.

All things that live bring gifts to you, and offer them in gratitude and gladness at your feet.

The scent of flowers is their gift to you. The waves bow down before you, and the trees extend their arms to shield you from the heat, and lay their leaves before you on the ground that you may walk in softness, while the wind sinks to a whisper round your holy head."

What this says to me is that at our core, we have a unique and valuable place in the world.

We are each a unique piece of the puzzle, and the picture would not be the same without us.

That is a message of our individual value that is not talked about often enough.

That light inside of us, at a soul level is always there. It's our internal flame that never goes out.

We can cover it, we can ignore it, but it is still there waiting for us to welcome it and allow it to shine brightly.

In the movie, The Help, Viola Davis tells the little girl she takes care of, "You is kind. You is smart. You is important."

Just a simpler way of saying the same thing.

We all matter.

I love the part in this passage about how we are one with nature and all the things that nature naturally does support us without any effort.

It's all in flow.

When we are aligned and congruent within ourselves, we also are in flow.

When I woke up this morning and realized I was in my bed at the condo, not the motorhome, my heart sank a little.

Mornings at the motorhome are now my preferred routine.

For me, I need that sacred connection to the ocean, the sand under my feet.

I am grounded because I am always barefoot. The soles of my feet are already toughening and handling the heat of the sand better.

The cacophony of all the different birds singing makes me smile as I walk through the property.

Maybe that's why this passage seemed special today. Reminding me of how we are one with nature.

As I sat with it, I realized something.

The ocean never wakes up wondering if it is enough.

The trees don't question their worth.

The flowers don't compare themselves to the one next to them to decide if they should bloom.

Nature simply expresses what it is, fully.

No apologies, no self-doubt.

And without needing permission from anyone.

And maybe that's part of what feels so healing about being surrounded by nature.

Nature reflects back to us something we've forgotten.

We belong here too.

We are an integral part of this big, amazing planet simply by being who we are.

Not because we've accomplished enough.

Not because we've proven our value.

Not because we've earned our place.

Simply because we're here.

Because we exist.

That light the passage speaks of lives within all of us.

Maybe that's why my heart sank a little when I woke up at the condo this morning instead of the motorhome.

Not because one place is better than the other.

But because being surrounded by nature, up close and personal, makes it easier for me to remember who I am beneath all the doing.

Beneath the goals and plans.

Beyond the endless questions.

I walk out onto that beach first thing in the morning and at the end of the day, maybe seeing one person and dog in the distance, most of the time nobody but me as far as I can see.

It reminds me that I am a small piece of the puzzle, but also reminds me I am part of everything there is.

Then I remember that the ocean doesn't ask me to become anything.

It simply reminds me of what I've always been.

I watch the waves move in and out in rhythm and effortless flow.

That's also what I crave in my life. Simplicity, effortless flow.

And maybe that's what this passage is really saying.

Not that we need to become more worthy.

Not that we need to earn our place.

But that the light is already there, waiting patiently for us to notice it again.

Today's Gentle Practice

Find a few moments today to step outside if you can.

Notice something in nature.

A tree.

A flower.

The ocean.

A bird.

Even a patch of grass growing through a crack in the sidewalk.

As you look at it, notice that it isn't trying to prove its worth.

It isn't comparing itself to anything else.

It isn't wondering if it belongs.

It simply exists as itself.

Then gently ask yourself:

"What if I belong here too?"

Not because of what you've accomplished.

Not because of what you've overcome.

Not because you've earned it.

Simply because you're here.

Simply because you exist.

Let yourself sit with that possibility for a moment.

With you,

Lynn