Watching the waves rolll in at Venice Beach, CA
Every now and then it’s nice to step back for a moment and just take time to relax, recharge, and breathe. I did that very thing yesterday at the end of a long day of business meetings.
Lucky for me, the meetings were held in Marina Del Rey, though judging from our windowless hotel conference room tucked away in the basement, we could have been on the moon for all we would have known.
Once we were finished for the day, with cell phone and map app in hand and high heels replaced with sneakers, I headed off in the sunny blue late afternoon to unwind and explore. Well, to be perfectly truthful, I headed off to find the closest Starbucks for an iced coffee. The exploring was an unexpected bonus.
Having never been to the area before I had no idea that along with my intended destination, I was also heading directly to Venice Beach with its sandy shore, crashing waves, long pier stretching out to the water, and an eclectic mix of people enjoying it all.
I walked down the pier and stood watching the waves crest and crash and retreat. Over and over. It was very peaceful and relaxing; just the pause I needed.
I’ve been doing a bit of goal setting and reprioritizing lately; making some changes so that I’m spending my time doing the things that are important to me, rather than getting waylaid and distracted or caught up in someone else’s circus.
One of those changes is a commitment to pay more attention to what is right in front of me.
Today that was a beach.
So, what is right in front of you today?
Eight Ladies Writing 
I’ve got windows, so I feel super-lucky! Today, it’s the ever-changing sky. We ask at the beginning of each English class about the weather, so we MUST look; it’s not an option. We went from gorgeous blue skies to cloudy, then slightly threatening, and now it’s blue again. The temperature is perfect, but the wind is a bit gusty. One kid had a lot of his stuff blown off his desk in the middle of a listening exercise, so that was the excitement of the day.
I probably will go home to dog brushing. The two youngsters are losing their winter coats, and I must have brushed off a bucket-full yesterday (but it smushes down). It’s so nice to do that grooming for them, but they don’t like their hindquarters brushed, so they sit down, and lean heavily against my legs so all I can reach is the neck, back and ears. It’s a nice way to spend an hour in the fresh hair (as long as I don’t breathe in too much dog hair, LOL).
Your fluctuating weather sounds a lot like mine at home. I’m in a little micro-climate area and it seems to cycle through various patterns throughout the day. There is a saying here – “if you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute.”
Hope you enjoyed your dog brushing. I haven’t had a dog for years, but I’m pretty sure I can still find dog hair under the furniture. The cat has pretty much finished shedding his winter coat – he went from looking like a big ball of fluff to looking closer to one of those hairless cats with a kind of ruff of fur around his head where he can’t reach to pull it out. He loves to be brushed, especially the areas that he can’t easily reach.
(-: It went pretty well. Rex is certainly starting to look sleek . . . I think he loses his winter fat, as well as all that undercoat. Nana doesn’t look much changed, although I’m pulling out quite a bit of fur from her, too.
I’ve actually sucked at keeping my schedule free to write this week. On the other hand, my grandkids are growing up fast and if I want to spend time with them, I need to do it now.
Stupid laws of physics.
There are always trade-offs, aren’t there? At least you are doing something you love, even if it isn’t writing.
This is a timely reminder. Right now I’m super-busy trying to get my new website live, and my first book ready for self-pub, and myself ready for the GH final in NY (clothes, argh, SO not my forte; a snappy pitch for my book, which is not the one I’m preparing to publish; a speech for the ceremony, something else I’m not good at and which I don’t expect to need but have to write just in case; etc etc).
I should take a moment to celebrate these important moments in my writing life, and to enjoy every step of the journey.
Thanks, Elizabeth!
You’re welcome, Jilly. Looking forward do seeing the results of all of your efforts and hearing your speech (which I’m sure you’ll need).