CHASING DOWN THE MUSE: ‘Enough’ is surely enough for anyone

The thing about luck is you don’t know if it’s good or bad until you have some perspective. (Paraphrased from Alice Hoffman in “Local Girls.”)

The lone gull stands watching the sea as the low tide recedes.

I stop to watch the gull and the sea. It takes very little for me to fall into the slow rhythm of the ebb and flow of the tide.

Weary of watching the ebb and flow of world affairs, I have come to Crystal Cove to walk the length of the beach. Releasing myself from the cares of the day, I don’t care how long this walk will take. I know the rewards will be worth it.

Many times time spent on this shoreline has served me in myriad ways. Sometimes, like today, just offering a little respite, a bit of space, a reminder of blessings and abundance.

I do not know how long I stand watching before my feet move again. Before long, I am back to my normal stride and lost in reverie as I walk. Orange-legged ruddy turnstones scatter at my approach; a small flock of sanderlings scurries away with great speed; the mocking laughter of gulls sounds everywhere. Ah! There stands a lone great blue heron, neck outstretched, on the hunt in the shallow water of this low tide. Warm sun. Cool breeze. The lapping sound of the waves as they wash the shore. The affairs of the world seem so very far away as I gift myself with this time.

Just as the tide continuously seeks its opposite, so do the ways of the world. We are in constant change, seeking balance, but seldom staying there long.

As with this morning when I was ready to walk, eager to stride along this stretch of beach, but the tide was too high, patience is called for. I waited. The tide changed. Walking across the sand now, I am reminded that the affairs of the world are like this, too. Change will come. When it does, the hard times, while leaving their mark, will be a distant memory. Perspectives will change.

Recently, longtime friend Faye Baglin sent me one of those “pass it along” e-mails. The subject line said, “I wish you enough.” This caught my attention. We just never seem to have enough of the good things and often feel there is too much of the bad. What would be enough? As stated in the piece Faye sent, wishing another person “enough” meant wanting them to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them. This meant also enough of the opposite of what you might want for you to appreciate that which you have. This resonated for me.

Everything changes. The calm sea becomes turbulent. The rough sea becomes calm. The forest fire burns itself out. The storm passes. And just as natural events seek their opposites in order to achieve some balance, the upheavals in affairs of the world do the same. Time and patience are as important to the process of healing the world as they are to my taking a walk at low tide. The events are larger and so require much more of both time and patience, but the changes will come. It is the natural way of the world. This is good to remember. And this is what this walk was for, I think to myself. As usual, it has given me the time and the space I needed and a pinch of patience as well.

My long walk at last comes to an end. Leaving the beach on this lovely day I spot a tattered-winged osprey as it circles overhead and then flies away. I glance back at the myriad birds scurrying about in the shallows of the day’s low, low tide. The lessons are here as always. I am grateful that the opportunity has once more come my way to learn even as I enjoy my time in and with nature.

I wish you enough.

CHERRIL DOTY is an artist, writer, and creative coach exploring and enjoying the many mysteries of life in the moment. She can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at (949) 251-3883