This morning I got up early again to go to the beach for my morning dip and meditation. Hardly anyone was there and I was far enough out that I decided to turn it into a half-skinny, if ya know what I mean. (I do love me some skinny dipping.) Anyways, it was just light enough though that I thought it best to keep the bottom half on and it’s a good thing too, because about five minutes in, I found the current carrying me right into a school of jellies. A little baby one bounced off my arm, hit my foot and skidded up my leg. Thankfully it was small enough–it didn’t do any damage. But you’ve never seen a girl pull up her wet bathin’ suit faster then me. I dove under the next wave and swam with all my might against the current to shallower water.

By this time the sun was almost ready to wake up and I could tell it was going to be a good sunrise so I decided to hop out anyway. I walked up the beach to my perch, sat down, took a few pictures, and then prepared myself to meditate. I set my alarm for ten minutes, crossed my legs, rested my hands on my knees and looked for my focal point. And, with a deep breath in, and out, I began.

But within seconds, the sand gnats began buzzing around my face, landing on my nose, threatening to get stuck in my eye. And those little buggers are so small, no bigger than a dust speck, but annoying as h*!!. I couldn’t concentrate. I couldn’t clear my head. I couldn’t keep my focus. I just kept swatting.  And I couldn’t figure out where they were coming from either. The previous two mornings, I’d had no such interuptions. I tried to push through my meditation, but it was just not going to happen. I gave up and decided to just watch the sun.

Then it dawned on me.

There was no wind today. I looked around at the dune grass and the waves and everything was calmer than yesterday, and the day before.

And I realized.

I am one, who really dislikes the winds of life. I’m not one for discomfort. I like things in neat, tidy packages. I plan and predict. I like life clean. And I’ve often felt the, “why me, I’m living a good life” syndrome, when those winds have arisen. I try to baton down the hatches and stand steady while they blow, but if I’m honest (and I’m trying to be) I sometimes allow myself to tailspin during the storm.

But.

Today I began thinking. What did the winds protect me from these last two years? Sure they knocked me off kilter. But what did they keep away?

Because this morning I learned that, just as the “wind makes trees strong.”

It also keeps the gnats away.