I’ve been meaning to write this blog post since we went away at half term but as usual time has run away with me.
We’ve been on some really lovely holidays over the past couple of years – Majorca, France, the Canary Islands, Barcelona, and we’ve got some really exciting ones planned in. I’ve got a bit of a confession though – one of my favourite holidays is the most unlikely location. A little beach near Durham called Seaham. When I am there I am truly at peace.
When we are at Seaham we do nothing but sea glass hunting. It might seem like a waste of time to others but the pursuit of a little bit of sea tumbled glass makes me totally shut off from the world around us. Now, you know that I believe that we should spend our time doing meaningful activities but sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to forget the world around us and just be free. It gives your brain a bit of a break.
Sea glass hunting has taught me two really valuable lessons. The first lesson is that something beautiful can be created out of something that someone else has thrown away. There are so many parallels with life. It might sound like a cliché that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, but this is a simple reminder that this can be the case. I also love the thought that something beautiful and rounded can be created over time – out of something that was once jagged, unwanted and worthless. See if you can find any parallels for that in the world around you – there are many.
The second lesson is one that every serious sea glass hunter will know. If you keep looking, the answer is sometimes staring you in the face. We walked along that beach so many times, our eyes scanning for the sunlight catching on something – but sometimes what we really needed to do was stop, focus and just keep looking, with the faith that we will find what we were looking for. I remember sitting on the beach talking to Matilda about the fact that life can be like this too – sometimes it seems hopeless but if you have faith and you keep searching you will find your treasure in the end.
So sea glass hunting has a lot to teach us. Boy does it make your thighs ache though!