Most evenings, when the working day is completed, if I have time, I like to cycle down to the beach at Playa Flamingo, and to watch the sun, as it sets slowly over the Pacific Ocean. It is always a beautiful sight, and I love the quiet calm that transcends over all of those who are watching. It is a time for thought, for reflection on the day, and for thinking about what tomorrow will bring. It brings peace and tranquility to all life.
This evening, I sat on the sand watching, and it occurred to me that right then, in the glow of the evening sun, was the perfect time to meditate, to open my heart, and to think of the miracles of life. I looked at the sun, as it dropped below the line of clouds that stretched across the horizon, changing the grey to hues of purple, mauve, and orange. I saw that the clouds were lined with a brilliant shine, reminding me that every cloud really does have a silver lining. I looked at the rippled surface of the ocean, and I saw the reflective glow of the sun, as the water shimmered with the breeze, giving the illusion that the ocean was on fire. My eyes fixed on the volcanic rock formations that line the coast of Flamingo, and then further out, I looked upon the Santa Catalina Islands. I turned and looked at the land, at the rocky headland, covered with a sea of green, all the trees carrying the lush foilage of the wet season. I watched as the waves broke on the beach, their waters racing up the sand, reaching out as far as possible, clawing their way over the grains, until they could hold on no longer, and could only fall away and recede once more. I saw people on the beach, playing, watching, taking photographs, laughing, smiling, talking, sharing. A flicker of movement and my eyes glanced down to my left, to fix on a small shell on the dry sand. And as I watched, that shell turned itself into a crab, that scurried forwards, then stopped, and abruptly became only a shell once more. Then, in a flash, it transformed, it ran and had become a crab again. I followed its path and my eyes saw that there was not just one crab, there were many, all intent on their end of day business, every one of them hiding down at the slightest movement, the lightest tremor, to become simple shells again. And in this moment, I smiled to myself. I smiled because I understood and I knew.
I knew that I already could see the miracles that surround us each and every moment. I smiled because my heart knew the truth of it, and my heart, in that moment, felt at peace, and it felt happy. It was grateful that I was there, that I dared to dream, and that I had the courage to reach out for that dream. In this moment, my heart was open. In this moment, I was surrounded by life, by love, and by the countless millions, the infinite billions of precious miracles. I absorbed all of this in a single instant of time, I took it all in and I let it flood into my heart. And, during this blink of an eye, because my heart was open, I let love flow out from me. I let the energy of the universe out, so that I could keep the balance within. I released my light, and in that single moment, I was brighter than the sun, I shone more brilliantly than the greatest star in all the universe.
Afterward, I felt an urge to create and so I scribed some words into the sand.
I saw life and it was good
I opened my heart to the miracles
That surround us each and every moment
Let your light shine forth
Because that light is pure love.
~ ~ ~
I do not know what day two of the 21 Day Meditation Challenge will bring to me. Perhaps it will be a new lesson. Perhaps it will be an old lesson. Some how, of my own volition and experiences, I have moved along the path towards the light. I have become spiritually enlightened, without trying to do so. I did not read any books to learn what I know. Rather, I opened my heart to possibility, I opened my heart to my dreams, and I took a chance on life.
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