Change...

Change is something we are all too familiar with these days. When I walk the beach, I immerse myself in change. As Heraclitus said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man. ” I walk the same beach everyday, but it is not the same. Each morning when I walk out onto the beach I never know what to expect, but I do know that it will be different than yesterday. The tides and waves assure the landscape at the water’s edge is in a constant state of flux reminding me that the landscape of my life changes everyday as well. It is in this area of constant change, at the water’s edge that I often find sea glass. Sometimes the change is subtle, sometimes profound - the gentle waves of slack tide or an unsuspecting rogue wave. Good or bad, there is always change. Knowing that change is inevitable and dealing with it often, makes me better equipped to accept the big changes that will surely come my way.

“All things change: nothing persists.” - Ovid

Change can be unsettling. I find it useful to look at change as a catalyst for revealing new treasures, whether it’s sea glass on the beach or a simple pleasure in my everyday life. I try to look at a situation anew, from another angle, another viewpoint. Sometimes the beach is covered in pebbles and finding sea glass and treasures is easy. Other days the beach is textured in footprints and I really have to search for even the smallest treasure. It is at these times I remind myself that even the slightest change in the surface of the sand could reveal a hidden treasure. I often find a piece of sea glass in a footprint, or near the deep impressions left by an early morning runner.  Some days the sand covers over the entrance to the creek and you can literally search for miles on the beach.  There are days when the wind covers the beach with sand as far as the eye can see, forcing me to look in the old high tide lines. There I often find sun glass that has had plenty of time to soak up the sun’s rays causing the manganese in the glass to turn a wonderful lavender hue.

Lavender sun glass hiding in the old high tide lines.

One big change for me this year has been ordering groceries on line. This has really allowed me to take a close look at the food I consume and the waste it produces. Making my own flour tortillas means one less plastic bag coming into my house and ending up in the landfill each week. That’s 52 plastic bags a year! The real game changer was learning to make my own peanut butter cups.  Now that’s a real treasure!

The constants - the ocean, the sand and the sky.

Yes, there will always be the constants - the ocean, the sand and the sky.  These constants bring me comfort.  Family, friends, home - these are the constants in my life. If I allow change to be a constant as well, it becomes a comfort. I embrace change everyday. Walking on the beach helps me handle all the flotsam and jetsam that life’s tides wash in everyday with as much dignity and grace as I can muster.

Finding Sea Glass

So many people tell me that they never find sea glass on the beach.
My common response is, “It’s there!”

“One of the universal truths of human observation is that we see more of what we expect to see and less of what we don’t expect to see.” - Tristan Gooley

Once I asked a fisherman if he had caught any fish, he replied, “No, that’s why they call it fishing and not catching.” I realized then, that I am not searching for sea glass on the beach everyday.  I am FINDING sea glass on the beach everyday. Everyone has his or her own style of finding sea glass. I walk. Others sit and dig and sift, or only go at low tide or when they can spend the whole day. Still others, don wetsuits and go diving or snorkeling to find treasures. Some walk the water’s edge using a long handled strainer, seemingly knowing that the treasures must be just beyond their reach. There are no rules, or secrets. Sea glass always seems to defy the rules, appearing when, where and to whom it wants to. I can only tell you what works for me. I walk. 

“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith.” - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

As a patient searcher. I like to give the ocean time to know I’m there, that it’s me. I wait until the sea is ready to give me treasures, until the tide is ready to cast them ashore each day. You must believe there is sea glass on the beach before you can find it, have faith. I believe I find the treasures I’m meant to find when I’m meant to find them, when my eyes are meant to see them. The best is finding a treasure lying on the beach in plain sight. Finding treasures on the beach everyday, allows me to see the treasures that are in my everyday life. 

“ I show up, I listen. I try to laugh.” – Anna Quindlen

I show up, walk, and smile. Yes, I walk the same stretch of beach, everyday, at the same time everyday. If you can’t be on the beach everyday, when you do show up, being present is key. When you take the time to be present and mindful on the beach, you are sure to find some treasures. Finding sea glass is about seeing things differently and increasing your opportunities. If you can be on the beach everyday, if you show up everyday, you increase your changes of being there when that great piece of sea glass is washed ashore. Showing up, increases the opportunity of serendipitous events happening to you. The more often you put yourself in the right place, the more often you will find what you are looking for. Find that place for yourself. For me that place is the beach, the same beach everyday. 

Since I walk the same beach everyday at the same time, the magic of the changing tides offers me a fresh beach to search everyday. Where to walk? If the tide is going out, I may choose to walk the high tide or wrack line first and return walking near the water’s edge. This gives the tide more time to recede and reveal more treasures. But then again, sometimes walking the water’s edge with an incoming tide allows treasures to literally wash into your path. This is how I found my first sea marble. The tide is the strongest and moves the most water in the middle of high and low tide, this is why I often walk the middle of the beach. I have found sea glass on all parts of the beach. If you decide to pick your head up and look around, stop walking. You might walk right by an amazing piece of sea glass.

For more tips check out Cindy Bilbao’s book “Sea Glass Seeker”.

The weather also affects my walking decisions. It’s always cooler at the water’s edge, so on a hot summer’s day it might be more comfortable walking there. I usually walk very slowly and wander a bit as a walking meditation. In the dead of winter, I pick up the pace to keep warm. In a heavy wind or rain, I’ve been known to walk backwards on the beach so as not to have my glasses sandblasted. 

My beach is mainly made up of sand, round pebbles and broken shells. I look for things that are different, angular pieces, unusual colors or a shimmer of light. I bend down a lot and I pick up a lot. I take a lot of chances. Not everything is a treasure. I now bring a bag with me and pick up trash as I walk the beach everyday. Plastic on the beach and in the ocean is a worldwide problem, affecting sea life and shore birds. I became passionate about this after seeing micro plastic on the beach in Hawaii over four years ago. I encourage you to incorporate beach cleaning with your sea glass searching. I have picked up a piece of brightly colored plastic only to find, to my surprise that it was a really a very unusual color of sea glass. I also believe that picking up marine debris sharpens your eye and strengthens your sea glass finding Karma. 

When searching for sea glass I always retrace my steps. I have even found a piece of sea glass in my own footprint! I look closely at the place where I started and always find an amazing piece there at the end of my search, by simply going back to where my walk began. When I first step onto the beach, I stand quietly in awe looking at the water before me, sensing hope, peace and faith. In leaving, I give thanks for the gifts the sea has given me each day.