Rest is not simply a lack of motion or a lack of productivity. True rest demands that my soul sits in stillness… Play is the sister of meditation. Photos and reflections by Lexie

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My intention for the evening walk: What can I learn about patience through a process of change? Just a block in from the ocean, the air had seemed stark still, but on the beach, I met strong winds I hadn’t expected. I realized I could choose: walk south facing into the wind; north, with the wind at my back; or, leave the beach. I headed south and without thinking immediately opened my arms wide into the gusting. My over-shirt ballooned off both arms like a sail; movement was slow going, deliberate, requiring effort. I kept on, arms outstretched, aware of my fatiguing muscles. My mind filled with this week’s events, all the change in the news, an image of those who kept moving forward amid powerful resistance, step by step, for decades upon decades. Tears welled as I imagined their patience and strength, propelled by a vision for a changed world. I, too, persevere, vulnerable to the elements. Tonight’s walk suddenly felt like it wasn’t just a walk, but a kind of entering– into a space of respect, gratitude and hope.

As I turned and headed north, I realized how naturally easy it is to walk with the wind at my back. How I take it for granted.

Back at walkway #53, I just stood in the wind, facing the ocean. Although grounded in the sand, I had to keep adjusting my stance to keep balanced. Again and again, minute shifts mattered. A surrendering, in order to hold my place. Reflection by Amy W.

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A few steps into my beach walk, my first urging was to draw this in the sand. We get to say ‘yes’ to love, was my thought. In the post-walk sharing as a group, I was reminded even though the tides will wash away this heart: “ If we fail at it today, we get another chance tomorrow.” Photo and reflection by Amy W.

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My intention for my walk tonight was to focus on love and hope, having gone through an incredibly emotional week of history. As I walked into the wind, I spread my arms and felt as though the hatred of the world was being blown away in the wind. And it just kept on blowing — away, away, away… and then I noticed the joy and hope around me — lovers walking hand in hand in the surf, families fishing in the darkening evening, the sunset in the west, the lights of the houses emerging out of the darkness, my gratitude to be able to experience this incredible beauty. At the end of the walk the north sky lit up with lightning — I saw it as both hopeful in its glory, and a reminder that we still have hard work to do as individuals and communities as we move forward in greater love.  Photo and reflection by Nancy L.