We were three...

I’m sitting on a grounded plane. We were all set to take off and the weather rolled in. It rolled and rumbled and threw us off schedule. Stop the taxi to the runway – we need to ride it out. My head is crinked to the left as I gaze out the window at an enormous idle engine. It’s raining and the window is covered with drops of varying fullness. I am ‘cloud watching’ the raindrops to spot interesting patterns or shapes. I spy a perfect little face, but after a moment it melts away as the droplets become to heavy and slide down the ‘glass’. I text back and forth with an abandoned friend at a different airport; we provide each other comfort, venting opportunities, and laughs. Silver lining…what better time to capture the memories of an adventure that I’ll always remember?

‘Firsts’ has been a powerful theme for me in the recent past. This trip celebrates ‘firsts’ for me on so many levels…some frightening, some exhilarating.    

To say I was anxious about the journey would be a gross understatement. I was apprehensive about the rare absence from my babes, making the necessary arrangements for my coverage, and traveling alone for fear of the unthinkable happening and what would ‘be’.

I had to exercise many things: the importance of self-care, courage to grasp new adventures, and my faith in the notion that we ultimately have no control over many of the things that happen in our lives – just trust in something bigger than us to get us all through.

We were three - women, friends, sisters – traveling separately on three different routes, to meet in a moment and seal it within. We were eager for a slice of life, and a slice we would enjoy!

We gathered to rejuvenate and reenergize: to step outside the ring and claim a brief, sweet moment for ourselves as girlfriends and women, outside of our primary roles.

We are all in different chapters in life, but what I have found is that there seems to be a collection of basic and inherent feelings or emotions that we process as we encounter different experiences, and no matter what chapter we are in, we can connect on some level through these deeper responses, reflections, and perceptions of life's experiences. 

I was looking for the perfect little symbol to share with these girlfriends that I would be traveling with on a milestone adventure, of sorts. It felt deserving of something ceremonial to mark the occasion. These beautiful ladies have been responsible for a large portion of the wind beneath my wings in recent years. I decided on a salt dough treasure or token, which happened to be part of a recently scheduled project post. 

I shaped three small round tokens with an imprint of a flower on the face, made by my daughters pink, gem-encrusted costume ring. I painted them a natural ivory color with an iridescent sheen. They were sanded perfectly smooth, and begged to be handled. I wrote each friend a note explaining the meaning behind the stones, and the ceremony I had envisioned, and I wrapped them in plum silk bags.

It was beach day. We hit the sand and soaked up the beauty of the shore. It was a cooler, windy day but a far cry from the snowy winter we all left behind. We spent a couple of hours appreciating: exploring the shores in our cuffed up jeans, wading in the chilly waves, collecting sand and shells, and snapping memories. When it was time to share our tokens, we found the most perfect spot – the crook of an old uprooted and fallen tree, perfectly out of place at the edge where the sand bleeds into the tall grasses.

We stood in a tight circle, grasping our smooth stones, setting a little wish or inspiration into the tokens and simultaneously sending that message out to the Universe. We dug a small hollow in the sand and buried the stones to capture a little piece of this moment for us. We stamped the sand down with our bare feet, and a tight warm hug followed.

I’d like to dream that someday three others, on a journey similar to ours, may stumble upon our stones and be inspired by the mystery and magic that they hold. Or maybe little children who think they’ve discovered buried treasure - that’d be ok too.

For now, there will be a little part of us in paradise together, resting in the sand.

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”

--Anonymous

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You can recreate this experience with loved ones. See previous post...capture a symbol, something unique to you, in your  stones. Go on a nature walk – somewhere that's meaningful to you, and search for the perfect little spot to leave a piece of yourself. Make a little mish upon your stone and carefully hide it. You can continue to look for it on future visits.

Cheers!
J