Hello friends. I hope wherever you are, you are experiencing the fullness of life, love, and joy. Thank you for being here today!
Life is an adventure, and an experiment the universe’s consciousness plays out in each form it takes. We are all unique expressions of the whole, connected to all that is, yet with our individual experiences, gifts, and creative powers.
As humans, we are social, members of tribes, learning who we are from what we observe, learn, and understand of the world around us.
But we aren’t indelibly tied to any way of being, and often who we learn to be is not our truest self. We take on others’ perceptions of who we are and how we should be as indicators of our worth and whether we’re on the right path, whether we’re successful or good or worthy.
We take on the burdens of individual and collective histories that play out in the world around us, weighing us down, shackling us into thinking that we have no choice or that we are unworthy of the journey our hearts yearn for.
Or we only feel we are worthy or successful or good if others validate our paths, giving their approvals through whatever form we seek them out in:
Love
Likes
Jobs
Position
Titles
Degrees
Followers
Status
Earnings
We only feel we are doing it right if we fit within the acceptable niches of our tribe and receive the pats on the back that tell us that we belong.
We look for others to lead the way, to create the path we can follow. It’s the safe way.
Right?
But what if the path your heart yearns to take isn’t the one everyone else is on? What if others laugh at your dreams or tell you why you can’t possibly succeed? What if there are no footprints leading you to a known destination, no signposts along the way to tell you you’re heading in the right direction?
Yesterday, I headed out for an afternoon beach walk. The tide was on its way out, and the zero-foot low wouldn’t hit until just after sunset. I wanted to walk the beach to the point just under the bluff where the house sits. I wanted to see the bluff from a different perspective, to see the view from below, looking up, stepping outside of my usual experience to look at where I live each day, differently.
With an afternoon low tide, no rain, and temps in the upper 40s, I was sure the parking lot at the county park would be full, other islanders looking to amble along the shores on a pleasant long-weekend day.
I expected to find kindred spirits seeking the same experience as the one I sought. My new island community, one that recognized the beauty and opportunity the day had to offer, who would show me I belonged here because I had the same idea about how to spend this glorious afternoon. I envisioned the camaraderie that comes with people enjoying being out in nature and the feeling of lightness it offers.
Instead, I was met with an almost empty parking lot and not a soul to be seen in the direction I yearned to walk.
My first thought was:
Does everyone else know something I don’t know?
I immediately opened up the tide app to see if I somehow got the timing wrong. I opened up the weather app to make sure there were no surprises there. I looked up and down the beach in both directions for a clue as to why I appeared to be the only one who felt pulled down this beach, this day. Finding none, I cinched up the straps on my pack, pointed my feet down the beach, and walked towards my yearning, with trepidation and self-doubt about the path I’d chosen.
Though I saw no other being when I began my walk, I did see one set of human footprints heading out and back, accompanied by a set of pup tracks. Someone had ventured down this path at some point that day. Even this little sign provided a bit of comfort until I eased into my own walk.
Would I have continued without those footprints to tell me I wasn’t entirely alone on my journey?
Yes, I would have, because once I started that walk, I realized it was the right decision for me. I discovered things I might not have seen if too many others had passed this way before or with me that day. Because I shared the path with no one that I could see, I discovered:
A skull belonging to some unknown animal
Colorful sea glass
An eagle perched on a branch, at eye level, about 20 feet in front of me as a rounded a downed tree and the same one later, hunting for dinner
A sea otter crossing the beach and watching me for more than a heartbeat before gliding into the water and on his way
Sea lions balanced on rocks, lounging away the afternoon
A heron hunting for food, barely bothered by my presence as I passed by on the sand
Anemones in a tide pool, open and waving with the water’s movement
The light shimmering off Mt. Rainier’s peak
Red rocks tucked behind a fallen log
A sea star shell, its life energy no longer present
In other words, I noticed life in its myriad forms, the treasures and gifts awareness folds into any experience. And I saw my bluff, my day-to-day lived experience, from a new perspective, giving me a new appreciation of this gift I’ve been given.
Despite the joy in the path I walked, I still gave pause for thought when I heard a sound that caused my imagination to signal danger, my mind leaping straight to a scenario about sharing the beach with a cougar. It turned out that it was just rocks grinding under my shoes.
The danger was in my own head.
And then there was the man I saw coming toward me in the distance after not seeing anyone, or any other footprints other than the one set going out and back, obviously made by the same shoe. Where did he come from? Did he materialize out of nowhere? Why was he there?
My mind did a funny thing then.
I had accepted the solitude of my decision and eventually treasured it, so that when I did see someone else, I became suspicious and a little nervous. Perhaps from years of caution as an often-solo-female hiker. Perhaps also because I began to think I was alone on my journey and didn’t realize I’d eventually discover a sense of community.
Yet, as I came closer to this man, all suspicion evaporated because I recognized another individual who decided to follow the path his heart longed to take that day, even if it meant he traveled in solitude.
Or maybe that was the whole reason for his journey. The quiet and the solitude to tune into nature and turn inwards, into his truest nature.
He raised a hand in greeting and asked cheerfully after how I was doing, and I responded in kind.
It was an immediate sense of kinship, two souls following a path with few footsteps leading the way but enjoying the journey anyway.
We didn’t linger in any conversation, but that didn’t take away from the feeling of camaraderie and community, even if it was in passing.
We all want to belong, and community is a good thing, as long as it also allows us to live the truest expression of ourselves. Goodness knows, we need more of that these days, not less. But we need authentic community, with people who support and uplift one another in walking the paths their hearts yearn to take.
I believe it’s out there, and I believe we can create more of it.
Sometimes, finding the right community is a lonely journey, through uncharted territory that eventually leads you to you first and then the community that supports, loves, and believes in you as you grow more fully into yourself and live your heart’s calling, whatever that path may be. And the relationship is reciprocal, as you accept, love, and honor those in your community for who they are, where they are, as they are.
Trust the quiet tugging of your heart. It’s your soul’s voice urging you to follow the path of your truest nature, even if there are no footsteps leading the way.
Thank you for being here my friends, fellow humans, seekers, and adventurers. Our lives are a story we write as we live, and I’m grateful to each of you for joining me as I create mine and share a slice of it here in this space. If these words resonate, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Please feel free to share this post in whatever way feels right for you.
Peace and love
Desserae
I have a similar favorite walk near me. I see people and dogs for the first half mile. After that, it's often just me and the wildlife. I love it. Thanks for sharing your walk on the other side!
It is amazing how we can question what our path is through other's eyes... their idea of our path has no bearing on our chosen path. Beautifully linked to your experience on the beach. I loved reading this!