When I was a little girl, I dreamed about living next to a beach. I dreamed about spending an entire day sprawled out on the hot sand with an amazing book. I dreamed about the smell of the salt air and the feeling of sand pushing up around my toes.

Two years ago I moved within five minutes (walking) of a beach, and I didn’t even really notice. Meditating on a beach was not part of my childhood day dreams, but since I don’t particularly enjoy meditating next to my dirty coffee table, I’ve decided to take my practice outside every morning.

Why? I have a romanticized picture in my head of a woman in a loose fitted sweater sitting on the sand, hair blowing sensually in the wind, meditating to the crashing of the waves and the squawking of seagulls. That woman is me. And… that is definitely not what I look like, BUT (having already started this new ritual)  I can say that meditating on the beach makes me feel rich, grounded and happy.  No matter what side of the bed I wake up on in the morning, the beach makes me feel an inexpressible amount of joy.

So for the last three days I’ve gotten up early and jogged down to the water for a 15 minute guided meditation practice on the sand. It hasn’t always been super convenient (and today I almost talked myself out of going), but despite myself I’ve followed through on my commitment. The result: my days feel longer (I guess because I’m physically in more locations before leaving for work… does that make sense?), and I’m way more productive once I do get to work. So, as long as it’s nice out (I’m not going to be that person who meditates in the rain… if such a person exists), I’ll spend my AM soaking in the sea air… and spend the rest of the day tracking sand everywhere I go.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

You can do the things today that you thought you could only do once you were successful. I currently make less than $25,000 a year, and yet I’ve started a habit that I thought I’d only be able to start once I was financially free. By getting creative, I’ve figured out a way to feel rich and abundant, without actually being rich and abundant. Interesting.

I remember once hearing a group of girls complaining about models. “If I was paid to exercise, I’d be that thin too.” This annoyed me, and although I’m not usually the type to get in the middle of something, I pointed out that in order for those girls to have been signed as models, they would’ve needed that physique BEFORE ever getting their first pay cheque. The pay cheque that apparently “paid them to exercise.”

I’m not saying that I agree with the modelling world. I just don’t think it’s productive to complain, compare and eliminate ourselves from blame.  I think there are a lot more opportunities to feel rich, successful and artistically fulfilled (without even being any of these things) than we realize.

Like I said before: I’ve lived next to this beach for 2 years, and I’m only now taking advantage of it. Good grief. Sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh at yourself.