Riding the Waves

There is a saying:

“Marriage is hard

Divorce is hard

Choose your hard…

…Life will never be easy.

It will always be hard.

But we can choose our hard.

Pick wisely.”

There is an unspoken truth to life seeming difficult, a burden to bear at times. We long for the easier path, the quick results, the happiness we see propagated in social media and Hollywood. We are striving for this unattainable end goal called happiness. We mistake happiness for a destination when, instead, it ebbs and flows like the waves of an ocean.

Ever stand on a beach and just feel the beauty and calm of being one with the waves? What is it about waves that are so peaceful? Is it the back and forth rocking just as we rock our child? Is it the lapping, bubbling sounds of the tide that relax our tired muscles?

It’s all of these things and the assurance that as we watch the wave retreat back into the ocean it will return to the beach. This is life. This is riding the waves. This is not a destination or a decision of choosing your hard. It’s a mindful path - allowing all emotions (not just happiness) wash through our lives and knowing that when they recede they will return. And we are the better for their ebb and flow.