Perspective on the Pier

This week, I’m taking a break and it kind of feels like I’m taking the deepest breath I can possibly take; like I’m stretching and yawning deep enough to satisfy all the breaths to come, making up for any shallow breathing as of yet.

As I lean into my morning stretches, I picture mirroring a pier that reaches out into a fresh water bay. I feel like I am extending myself toward rest and replenishment.

The air I’m breathing is refreshing, like a mountain breeze in autumn. I imagine myself sitting on a pier, taking in the breathtaking view. Tall mountains surround me, lake shores with coasting rocky beaches. My feet are bare, and I can feel the stable wooden dock beneath me. Endless water ahead, yet I find safety in being connected to land, being secured by gravity and unprecedented rules that the earth naturally follows.

I know I’m not untouchable, but this week I feel a call to receive the moment like a present, like a gift. It brings meaning to the phrase “present moment.” This peaceful opening in the clouds to glimpse life and living. Yes, I receive this gift of time and space to feel and breathe and be and see. To love and notice. To appreciate and take in.

It’s the kind of gift that I am sober to receive, because I know my existence is small and no moment should be wasted and for once as I rest I don’t feel like I’m wasting any time at all.

I lean toward the water and dip my fingers in frigid, icy waters causing ripples beneath me. Ripples that create tiny currents, but whisper volumes. Ripples that only start with me, but won’t end with me and so I take it in. I take the beginning of receiving in, the effect of starting something or being part of something, but also letting my body get used to the temperature of the season. It might be time to wear a coat soon.

But right here, right now, I can get away with a sweater and bare feet. I can nourish a routine of being curious, but not make anything of it. With meandering along reaching piers and shoreline paths. I don’t have to find anything, but I can wander and take my time. I can ask questions and ponder with open space. As I lay back on this pier and gaze upon the view, I can be thankful.

And I am thankful. I don’t take my life for granted. This week, I’m pulling back big dreams to recognize the dream I’m already living. I’m pursuing life by living within my life and being present to the gift in each moment. I hope you find time to rest and be with those you love this holiday. I hope you close your eyes and see whatever it is that replenishes your soul and I hope you choose what really matters in the moments that matter most.