Love, Loss, Life… Reflections From The Shore

Last month, BullyGirl and I took a vacation to Cape Cod, my favorite place on Earth.

On my first morning there, I headed to one of my favorite beaches to watch the sun rise and take the first of many reflective walks.  While sowing new footprints in the sand, I saw two rounded rocks which had been thrust upon the shore together.  I was overcome with emotion at the sight of the pair, set slightly apart from other stones, high and dry while the tide slipped lower and lower.

A typical happy couple, I thought.  They’re nestled together in the sunshine without a care in the world.

The realization of impermanence hit me.  I knew that those stones wouldn’t stay together forever.  One might be plucked from the sand and placed in the pocket of a random beachcomber who longed to own the beauty of the coast (ha!).  Both could be hurled away by the paws of a digging dog.  And, invevitably, the tide would rise and they would return to The Sea for another round of churning.

I snapped a photo of those two stones, as if I could digitally prolong their warm and sunny bliss.  Then I wished them well and kept walking, now more mindful of the natural rhythms that surrounded me.

I paid extra attention to the other stones I passed as I stepped through the surf.  The rocks were all unique- varying greatly in size, shape and color.  Some washed up in pairs, others in piles and many were alone- isolated by a healthy boundary of sand.  I thought they represented an appropriate metaphor for individuals as we travel through life…

We’re all like those rocks (that was a simile) Each of us is different, yet we’re all cut and carved by the same force.  The company we keep can change with the wind… sometimes we’re part of a couple, sometimes a trio, other times a conglomeration… but always, we’re a single entity being tossed about by an energy we don’t fully understand.  Through this tossing we are rattled and scarred and shaped and smoothed. And, while the process is painful, the final product is an awesome thing of beauty that glistens in the light.

Winds shift, tides turn, relations change and relationships end.

It’s all part of a very natural process (and nature always wins in the end).  When our heartwarming memories pave the way for heartbreaking consequences, we should remember the rocks in the ocean.  We should trust that we will again bask in the sunshine, and when we do, we’ll be smoother, shinier, and more beautiful than ever before.

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6 Comments

  1. Well said! Very reflective. I enjoy reading this blog – i just don’t think this deeply, so I enjoy thinking on these things, as you bring them to the forefront.

    • Thank you! Sometimes I feel a little goofy writing about this stuff. I mean… who cries about rocks?

  2. Hi Tara. This post is beautifully poetic. It makes me realize that sometimes we’re probably meant to be “solo stones.” And even when we’re with another, we still are single units. Two single units together as one is sometimes meant to be; sometimes not. Very thought-provoking. Thank you.

  3. I LOVE your reflections and that you went back to ‘your’ spot, but on your own two feet, solo. What a healing time it must have been. I SO wish we could have met up though!

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