Gifts from the Sea: the beautiful exchange.

The waves come crashing against the shore, constant, relentless, filling the sandy beach with new life, washing away the old, bringing the new. It’s the healing wash of the waves. Whatever junk is on the shore, it patiently wears it away, rolling each bit over and over in the sand, smoothing the edges, rounding the corners, taking off the edge that so painfully grates on us. Even dangerous broken glass, over time, becomes a milky treasure, harmless and a softer version of what it was.

That’s like pain. The things that cut us deeply and are lodged in our hearts, cutting our feet every time we walk there, can become a beautiful thing, like sea glass. In Fort Bragg, CA, there is a place called Glass Beach where the glass washes up and the shore is just sanded, harmless bits of glass, a pepper of colors, white and milky, brown and a few green ones. You can safely scoop them up with your hands and run your fingers thru the sand, sifting for the bigger bits- the gems that once were crystals, daggers, broken bits of discarded trash. [ Thousands of people flock there each year searching for treasures.]

But the sea, over time, is a healer. It smooths over the roughness and knocks off the edges, gently wearing the sharp edges down. Only if we let it. If we hold onto our broken glass and scoop it up high on the shore where it can’t get washed away, and exchanged, it stays sharp and dangerous. But if we can let it go, trust the journey and let them be washed away, all the broken bits can be rolled by the surf, given new life, new beauty and new softness. And the waves bring them back. A beautiful exchange of forms; broken to beautiful.

The broken pieces are still broken glass- but with a kinder feel. Easier to hang out with and not fear getting cut. “Oh don’t go on THAT beach—lots of broken glass down there. You gotta be careful and watch where you walk. Make sure you wear shoes!” 

But on the glass beach, where the waves have been allowed to wash away the pain and allowed to heal the hurts; “Oh, THAT beach is a treasure hunt! Sure, it’s still littered with broken glass but now, it’s a joy to go—where treasures abound and each piece is a story! We go there and chill for hours, sifting through the sand to see what we will find.”

What is your heart like? What is it like to ‘walk on your beach’? Do people need to wear shoes and walk on eggshells and carefully pick their path so they don’t get cut by sharp edges and broken bits—where you bear the scars and those wounds are reopened each time someone visits? Lots of people have corralled their broken glass to ‘an area’ where you just ‘don’t go’. Like the roped off sections of the beach where no one can tread. And that’s a common strategy to keep things safer and minimize pain. But there is a better way- just right there, within reach. The waves are lapping, reaching, trying to cleanse your shoreline. The tides go in and out, reaching out to wash away the debris, wash the stinky seaweed, wash away the broken glass and roll it around awhile, bringing back new treasures, shells, fresh seaweed, and bits of sanded, painless glass that still colors your beach, but becomes beautiful instead of dangerous. Now your visitors can find treasures on your beach instead of danger. They are free to walk and run barefoot in the sand, enjoying the textures and stories and treasures they find as they stroll.

Let the waves of the ocean cleanse your soul. Take part in the organic exchange. Let it heal the wounds by washing away the broken glass and exchanging it for new. As you let the brokenness go—let your stories and narratives be re-written. Forgive. Let it go. Expect the best. Be willing to exchange it for new treasures… or maybe exchange it for the same bits, only softer, rounder…… broken, but beautifully transformed.

Sea Glass. Beautifully crafted from broken bits.

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Photography by Suzetteallen.com