Island Girl

Beach Life

January 27, 2018

By Rita Melville Alarcon

Nestled Between the Ocean and Mountains

My husband Joe, dog Buddy, and I live in our family home in Kailua on the island of Oahu. We have fallen in love with Kailua. Since this was the home of my parents, I often feel the grace of their presence. My Mom had a legacy of service in Kailua. She picked up trash on the beach each day, volunteered at her church’s outreach and Friends of Kailua Library.

The mountains can be seen and felt from the lanai. It is so relaxing to watch and listen to the palms sway in the wind. At night when it’s quiet, the ocean and the wind sound almost the same. The ocean has a longer push pull rhythm and the wind is a more constant sound.

Flow With Life’s Changes Like The Ocean

Walking on the beach, it feels easier to be close to spirit. The beach changes every day and is constantly shaping and re-molding itself with the pull of the moon on the tide, adapting each moment to the pull of life’s forces.

Life is like the ocean, it changes and my intention is to flow with it as the beach does while saving some energy in case of the unexpected. Many years before I had breast cancer, I had a deep soul fatigue, a sign that I was off course. May I adjust quickly to messages from my spirit.

Life may again have seasons of loss and I want to be emotionally prepared with reserves and tools ready in case they are needed. If these seasons come, I must flow like the beach with the current conditions and allow my life to mold me, allow my personal beach to adapt as needed.

One Basket at a Time

On our daily walks, Joe and I pick up trash. The amount of trash, mostly plastic, varies. At the current rate, the ocean will have more plastic than fish in 2050. New Year’s Day 2018, a special tide where the sun, earth, and moon aligned, strong winter currents, and rain created a deep purge of the sea.

Plastic that had been floating for a long time in the sea came to shore on the entire eastern side of Oahu. It was quite overwhelming. The objects had been in the ocean so long they had crustaceans growing on them. The sheer volume was unheard of. Each day we picked up a little more. If there was a pile of baskets filled with trash, we would move a manageable amount each day to the trash cans.

Due to efforts of many beach goers, volunteers, and the city who maintains the trash cans, the bulk of the trash was cleared after several days. The days now are mostly spent in maintenance.

So many efforts and seasons in life remind me of this trash pick up. Sometimes a little consistent daily effort completes a task and sometimes It may require community. Knowing and respecting my own abilities, not thinking I can do everything by myself has been a welcome shift. Sometimes in life I may experience such a tide and deal with the debris.

May I be grateful for and make the most of each day. May I listen to the longing of my spirit, take time to fulfill my purpose, take meaningful action for myself and serving others that may one day be my legacy.