It’s the kind of overcast morning that makes a person want to stay in bed. Even Moodah the dog won’t get out of the car when we pull up to our regular spot at the beach. I let him curl up in the front seat, crack all the windows, and move myself down to the sand. It may be muddy and gray, but I’ve got to let some wind blow through my brain.

Isn’t it interesting, all the distractions?

How islanders can work three jobs and let months go by without a day by the sea? How I have to schedule it like an appointment, these 40 minutes with nature in the morning.

And on this particular morning, there is a beast in my brain that is far from tamed. I am helpless, but for noticing, of this monkey mind in all of its reckless abandon. Incessant thoughts that topple, one over the other, pulling me from the paradise where I stand.

Yes, I’ll humbly admit that while grabbing my short commune with nature, the surrounding beauty was shadowed by the insignificant chatter of my mind. It’s a parade of starlets, these thoughts. How they enter stage left, take front and center spotlight like prima donnas, then exit stage right, only to be followed by the next leading lady.

Got to find Jeb’s spelling list. There’s that test tomorrow. Ugh, we haven’t studied.

Are there enough lentils that we can just have leftovers for dinner tonight?

If that check is not in the mail today, I think I’ll just make the deposit without it.

Moodah’s toenails are getting so long…

Cliffs draped in lush green succulents set the stage for me, small human that I am, to walk along its edges with these diva-esque contemplations running amok. I am bordered by an infinite sea, housing worlds I cannot fathom, but this morning, inside of me, it’s just a laundry list of petty.

Up ahead, clear springs seep from mossy rocks in a cascading shower of clarity. I advance in its direction for relief.

I get all the way in. Cold water spills, fresh, over my head, in my eyes, down my back and over my heart. I am immersed in the cooling liquid of pristine simplicity. My mind melted. Momentarily saved.

Thank god.

Reality check.