If there is one thing the Gulf quickly teaches you, it is impermanence. Footsteps, words written in the sand, sandcastles, even our trash will disappear. Look away for just a moment, and you’ll never see that same scene or image again.

That very thought, in our world right now, makes my already anxious heart shudder. Yes, I am still attached to this form, this earth, and the existence of myself and loved ones. No, I have not fully awakened.

And yet, I am constantly drawn to the Gulf. Much like my Colorado mountain trails I walked over and over day after day. Others would wonder how I could continually take the same path. I never understood the question. Like the Gulf, nothing was ever the same- a different angle of light, a shadow, a bird that wasn’t there yesterday, and always, always, the chance of a feather.

Impermanence makes me shudder. My heart beats faster to think of it. Anticipation and opportunity gift wings to my heart.

So how to reconcile these times with this whisper? Oh, I am sorry if you took the time to peruse this little scrich thinking there would be an answer! Oh no. This is like a sandcastle carefully, hopefully, and even anxiously built next to the shore’s edge. The feeling of running down in the morning to see how it fared the night, knowing the answer with each footstep. Knowing your heart will lead you to build another one.

Joy and hope cannot be denied.

No answers. As always, impermanence cradled in the eternal whispered Grace.