This morning Judy and I decided to drive up to our favourite beach on Bribie Island and go for a walk but when we arrived it was high tide.
I can hear you thinking – so what?
Usually, we check the tides before we go, but today we didn’t for some reason and was met by a tide that had literally taken half the beach with it.
Normally, we’d walk down onto the sand and along the tide mark, but today was different…
Given the weather patterns of the last week or so the beach had virtually been consumed by the ocean and the waves were raging.
The erosion had been significant in that the large, protected area of the sand dunes where they had been trying to grow trees and grasses to protect the beach had in many cases been washed away as well as over one meter of sand from the base.
We only got one kilometre down the beach as we hugged the dunes, before the tide became impassable and we had to retrace our steps back to the car park.
Yesterday alone we’ve recorded the hottest winters day since records have been kept with the temperature reaching 35C (95F).
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the heat, but the wind and other effects have caused havoc along the coast with very high tides combined with strong and gusty, hot dry winds.
Given the significant impact of climate change on our region alone this comes as no surprise.
September 1st is the first day of Spring here in Queensland so normally the temperature will begin to head upwards from a winter high of around 20C (70F) to 25C (77F)
This entire past week we’ve been stuck in an unusual weather pattern for this time of year.
All week we’ve had hot arid air in a jetstream forcing its way from central Australia toward us onto the coast like a funnel.
Generally, this is type of weather pattern is associated with summer, but it seems to have come much earlier this year.
Not sure what to think if it’s this hot in summer, goodness knows what it will be when the summer actually comes…
High tides and hot winds are just a symptom of what we may be in for.
As with life we all face high tides.
Things that are unexpected or that impact our lives in some way. Often times we don’t see it until it’s too late, with the only course of action is to react.
Clearly, it’s never a great feeling to be in this predicament, but as with our walk on the beach the best course of action is to sometimes backtrack and take another path.
The alternative is that you decide to wait it out and weather the high tide and to make the best of it however you can.
Sometimes you can wait it out successfully, other times additional hurdles and challenges caused by these high tide can engulf you and cause significant hardship, anguish and danger.
At times like this I’ve always found it important to have a clear head and be centered, both emotionally and spiritually and not be too tied to the outcome.
When I talk about spirit I’m talking about ego.
We often shy away from talking about our ego as it’s not always seen in a positive light. For me ego centres around you and how you see and interact with the world around you including your beliefs and values.
Our ego, or sense of self is how we see ourselves in our world and all the things that we encounter and experience along the way.
Many of us would have been frustrated with not being able to continue our walk along the beach, but for me letting go of my expectations was the most important aspect of this experience.
Sure, I would have loved to have walked along the beach like normal with my love, but if I’m not tied to the outcome, I was able to let it go and move on without frustration.
Letting go and seeing things as neutral frees us up to be the best version of ourselves.
Unfortunately, many of us including me (at times) still get caught up in the moments of frustration when things don’t go our way.
We can overcome any high tide if we’re able to stop and take a step back and see the situation for what it is.
There will be times where we may want to continue on and look for alternate ways to overcome this hurdle or challenge, other times surrendering and letting go is the better option.
Maturity and time enable us to learn these important aspects of life.
However, We have to be ready to accept new ways of looking at who we are and how we handle the high tides of life.
I realize that all high tides are not created equal, but if approach them in the same way, then they may not be as impactful or scary as we initially thought.
Step back and see these moments for what they are…
Until next week
Ciao!
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