After a storm at the beach, there’s expectancy. We know that with all that turbulent water and high winds come possibilities. At the next low tide, you’ll see all the local people down at the beach—seeing what the tide brought in.

Beach-comber's treasure: glass fishing-floats

At the very least, a good storm will “turn over” the agate beds. There’s always a fresh set of smooth rocks after a storm and the possibility of outstanding agates. But there’s also a chance of some rare items. Maybe a glass fishing-float cut loose across the ocean 25 years ago. Maybe an unusual shell brought up from the deep. Maybe the odd remains of a ship or a house or an unknown sea creature.

After a good “stirring-up,” the ocean tends to unlock both its secrets and its treasures.

And so do we!

Our storms can take many forms. A personal storm can be caused by the loss of a loved one or the end of a relationship. A storm is caused if we’re fired from a job or if we go through a bankruptcy. Things even feel pretty stormy when our children move out or our lives change because of a chronic illness.

But, after the storm—and sometimes even during it—great possibilities arise. Amazing treasure and unusual opportunities are more easily seen in the aftermath of personal trouble and change. Maybe the storm creates a space for newness. Maybe it washes away the last vestiges of old beliefs. Maybe it just provides clarity.

You can feel expectancy in the air: what’s next?

Here the real opportunity arises. We can put on that beach-combing mentality of searching for treasure. We’ll ignore the mess (also caused by the storm). We’ll overlook the trash that washes up and the disarray of the beach. Instead we know that treasure awaits. We know that something good is here for us right now. We know that with some insight and examination we will turn up a wonderful opportunity for the future.

Are you feeling the storm right now? Are you in chaos or turmoil? Take heart. Persist in your calming endeavors and take shelter if necessary. Once the tide has turned, there will be a time of opportunity. Once the present unrest is complete, you will have time to focus on what’s next in the infinite possibilities of life. So many options and ideas will be laid out for perusal. You can begin to comb through the treasures presented and build a new life of stability and goodness.

Have you started plants from seed? You spend quite some time selecting exactly the seeds you want—making sure the plant will have the flowers and foliage you desire. You buy the right seed germination trays, lids and soil. You monitor the sunlight from a window and the heat of the room. Naturally you make sure to water things and keep the humidity at the right level.

A "cold frame" for hardening off plants

Then the seeds sprout! You watch with excitement as they get their first leaves and really start growing.

Then one fine sunny day, you plant the sprouted plants in the garden at last.

Next day, you discover slugs have eaten the plants or chilly overnight temperatures have killed them.

They were too tender. You needed to “harden them off.” Hardening off is the horticultural term for introducing tender plants gradually into the environment. We protect them a bit longer and make sure that conditions will be extra-favorable for awhile after planting—until the plants can flourish on their own. We expose them gradually to air that fluctuates in temperature. We put down slug bait.

Our lives can be like that, too. When we make changes in our thinking and in our lives it’s like planting from seed. We spend some time thinking about the changes we’d like to see. We really shop around for a new way of being—new jobs, new ideas, new relationships, new habits, new healthy ways of living.

Then we “plant” this newness in our old lives and what happens? All our desired changes seem to wither away and we might be back where we started.

We forgot to “harden off” this newness a bit.

When we want to have change in our lives, we need to make sure it’s supportable. If we put new ideas in the middle of our old lives—they may not be viable. Old people, places and situations may not support the changes.

If we’ve become a non-drinker, hanging out with friends in the tavern may be difficult. If we’ve started eating more healthily, we may need to clean out the refrigerator. If we want to upgrade our abundance quotient, we may need to hang out with people who understand money better. If we want more harmony and peace in our families, we may need to learn some new communication skills.

For each change that we wish to make successfully, we should have a plan for gradual introduction into a supportive environment.

Then we have a good chance of success. Then this newness will survive a cold snap or a hostile encounter or two.

Once we have some practice with our new thoughts and habits, they will serve us well. Soon we will have fully integrated our new habits and thoughts into our (perhaps changed) lives. Then, like a well-established shrub in the yard, they can withstand whatever comes along. Then, we can then enjoy this new way of being with confidence.

In Native American Navajo tradition, only God is outwardly perfect. Only God shows up exactly as intended in all Its glory. People—not so much. People may be perfect in their concept but full of outward flaws.

Perfectly Flawed Navajo Rug

The Navajo celebrate this idea. Navajo art features small imperfections—put there on purpose! Even a $5,000.00 rug will have a loose thread or a place where the weave is irregular.

This is to acknowledge God’s perfection and to show that human life is just fine the way it comes—with all its variety and faults.

It’s not that the idea of humanity is flawed. It’s not that God makes junk. No, it’s to show that our best effort is always good enough. It’s to show that we are sufficient and do not have to arbitrarily strive for outer perfection.

Are you a bit of a perfectionist? Do you strive to live up to others’ ideals of beauty, order, cleanliness or abundance? Do you focus on an exclusive level of quality at the expense of enjoying the present moment?

Don’t get me wrong. I strive for quality! In every moment, I do my best—but that’s the key: I’m doing my best. I’m not doing someone else’s best. I’m not trying to make sure that my effort is “better than everyone.” I’m not trying to measure my efforts against an arbitrary standard or against somebody else’s idea of perfection.

I know that I am sufficient. I know that in this moment I can do a great job—and that’s enough. I know what is good and delightful for me and I let go of the rest.

There’s such freedom and self-kindness in letting go of other people’s ideas of who I am and what I’m supposed to be. There’s such power in just pleasing myself. There’s a sweet sense of accomplishment in embracing my own goals, my own intentions and my own standards of completeness.

Ultimately, it’s the freedom to be happy.

When I drop arbitrary standards that are pushing me forward and other people’s standards that are holding me back, I get something quite rare.

I get to enjoy myself in the present moment.

Sometimes I just have to put it in writing. When I’m faced with an important decision to make, when I am experiencing an overwhelming emotion or when I’m picturing my life differently, I take pen in hand.

Writing helps me to make changes.

Perhaps writing it down makes it more real. Perhaps it’s a way of “trying things out” before I make up my mind. It might even be part of the decision-making process. I’m not sure exactly—but I know that writing helps me quite a bit.

It helps me think clearly. I have to choose the words as I write them down. Am I feeling “abandoned,” or just “sad?” Do I want to do something about it or just be heard? What word describes the situation: “hopeless,” or “complicated.”

It helps me size up all the possibilities. Is that my only choice? Really? Or is there almost an endless list of things that I might do or say? Which is the best alternative for everyone concerned? What are the plusses and minuses with each option?

It helps me validate the truth. Is what I believe right now the truth? Am I sure? Is this belief helpful or harmful? Can I choose to believe something different? Am I freer with or without this belief?

It even helps me move on. Sometimes just writing it down has the powerful effect of softening and distancing. It’s as though writing about pain helps me work through it. As I put down thoughts of discord or disappointment, they don’t seem as big as I thought they were. As I write about my emotions I see them already starting to shift—I show how temporary they are. I see that things that happened don’t define me any more than the words on the paper.

Best of all, writing helps me to make changes. I can prototype them on paper. I can try out new ideas, new thoughts and new descriptions of my life. I can write out affirmations of how I want to think, feel and live. I can live, in advance, the way I want to live through the power of my mind and the power of pen on paper.

If you haven’t done so, try writing for a change.

It may start a new chapter in the book of your life.

Do you sometimes feel inadequate in Life? Do you feel overwhelmed or under prepared? Do you feel that Life just wants more than you have to offer?

You’re not alone, you know.

Some days it seems that there are a million things I could do to make the world a better place—and I can’t get even one of them done!

On days like these I have to remember that it’s not how much gets done. It’s not even what gets done. It’s simply that I’m doing my best in the moment. That’s all God ever asks of us; it’s really all we can ever desire to accomplish.

Some days this will feel like a lot. Some days our sense of productivity and action-oriented activities will fill us up with an easy sense of accomplishment. But how are we to understand our accomplishments in the world? We can understand them for ourselves—but to the world?

What out for those wings!

Sometimes the simplest remarks, actions, thoughts and conversations can make all the difference in the world. There’s an ancient Chinese proverb:

“The power of a butterfly’s wings can be felt on the other side of the world.”

And modern scientific chaos theory agrees. Even small changes in ideas, thoughts and actions can cause an expanding effect. We never know how influential our slightest gesture or comment might be. As it is received and amplified, passed on to others and further developed—our simplest expressions can change the world.

Hopefully for the better!

After all, we get to choose what’s being amplified and being passed on. When it’s an expression of lack or bitterness, its amplification might be the start of a major conflict! When it’s an interchange of carelessness and spite, who knows the effect it might have on the world?

But when it’s an expression of Love and Harmony, this is what is amplified and passed on. When it’s an interchange in Joy and Peace—that’s what the world receives, acts upon and radiates.

It’s not what we get done or how much we get done. It’s the context; the core message and the clear intentions that count. We can always be satisfied with our accomplishments, small though they may appear, when they’re created out of Love.

Then, when the wings of a butterfly take them up, it’s a celebration and not a typhoon that is whipped up on the other side of the world.

Growing up within a stone’s throw of the beach and having two grandfathers who were fishermen made for an early education about the sea. Understanding how to use the natural rhythms of the sea—the tides—became second nature. One grandfather even showed me how to calculate the tides based on the patterns of the moon and sun. Did you know that when the sun and moon align an unusually low tide, called a “neap” tide, is created?

Clam digging is always best on a neap tide.

But the tides of life exist well beyond the shore of the sea. We all have our personal rhythms, as well as that of the planet.

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re experiencing spring. Our natural urges of expansion, of newness and growth are ready to be expressed.

Our “tide” has just changed and we can plan for a season of additional clients, of new plans, of increased sales and production. Our natural urge to express outwardly, to expand our sphere of influence, is moving forward.

Of course we have free will. We can choose to ignore the tides. We can even try to go against them—that’s our right. Grandfather said that there was nothing wrong with being in the boat under unfavorable conditions—as long as you weren’t counting on any fish!

But how much easier it is to honor and utilize the natural flow of life.

Do you have plans for this growing season? Whether it’s yard work or the stock exchange, do you have plans to take advantage of this season of expansion and growth? Do you have plans for increasing your circle of friends? Can you see the opportunities to grow your business or expand your education?

This is the season for it.

Even spirituality has seasons. The darker days of winter are our time of inward reflection. We more naturally go within to meditate and contemplate our situation and our connection to God. We’re more apt to spend time in gratitude for what we have—rather than planning additional acquisitions.

But spring is the time for expansion and change. Maybe it’s time to modify your daily spiritual practice. Maybe you can try a fresh approach to prayer and visioning. Taking an inspirational class might give you new tools for more spiritual living. Planning walking meditations in nature might expand your idea of God. Studying a new metaphysical writer might move you in a new spiritual direction.

What I know for sure is that we can ride the tide of our existence to great success in all areas of our lives. We can experience life to its fullest when we are aware of the rhythm of our personal life as well as the world around us.

Each of us can become a prince (or princess) of tides.

Albert Einstein once defined insanity as “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Most of us exhibit some signs of this form of insanity, though. It’s part of living in a comfort zone.

Albert Einstein at the chalkboard

We might wish that things were different, we might want a different result from life, but there we go again doing the same things. The same comfortable things are producing the same familiar results.

It’s as though life has to get really bad before we’re willing to do something different. That comfort zone can contain things that are downright un-comfortable, but at least familiar. Maybe a familiar situation of pain seems more tolerable than just a “hope” of something better, but unknown.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We can push through that zone of comfort—really it’s just inertia—and experience something new. Something better.

I think the key is understanding the link between what we think and do, and what happens. If we really see that we’re creating our lives through our beliefs and our choices—then we can more easily make changes. Contrast this to the idea that life “just happens.” How can we hope to orchestrate beneficial changes if life is random?

Instead, I have learned to take full ownership of my life. I have learned to use discomfort as my “red flag” for change. Rather than waiting until things get really tough—I start evaluating the situation early on. I ask questions like, “How is this a reflection of what’s going on in my head?” and “Is this situation supporting a belief I have?

Usually I can link the discomfort to ideas that I’ve had, poor choices that I’ve made and errors in my judgment. I take ownership of the situation so that I can take ownership of making a change.

Then taking the road “less traveled,” seems more doable. Stepping out of a comfort zone is less risky when you know that you can change things for the better. You may not make the best choice every time—but then you can choose again. Life is unlimited and so are the chances for improving our lives. We may have to walk down several roads to find the destination we want. That’s OK.

We’re worth it