I dragged myself out of the house this morning in search of donuts and cider. (They were forecasting significant snow this afternoon, so some warming beverage was in order.) I had kind of a rough start this morning, so I decided to come home from Saugus via 1a, which takes me by Revere Beach. But once I got over to the Coastal road, I decided to go north just a few miles to Nahant, which is an amazing little point/island area that I really enjoyed once before. I decided a little time walking the beach in the cold would be good for me. I was delighted to see that there was a little snow on the beach. This is something I realized a few weeks ago that I have never seen and had made it a goal to catch a little snowy beach time before Winter was over. The wind was brutal and I didn’t stay out long. As I was walking back to my car, I happened to smile at a lady wrapping up her scarf and she stopped me and we spoke for just a moment. I’ve done a lot better lately at pushing against my introvert tendencies and being open to conversations when they happen. It was a lovely, brief conversation and she suggested that I check out a place further down Nahant called 40 Steps sometime. I waffled a bit on account of leaving the house without a scarf, but decided to go check it out, fully intending on coming back another day. It started snowing on my way down the point. Turns out, I had driven past 40 Steps before and I found a parking spot about a quarter mile away. Ialked back in the snow and icy wind, a spare pair of gloves stuffed into the hood of my jacket to block the wind from my cheeks. There was a couple leaving as I got there and I walked down the aforementioned 40 steps into the little bay area. It was utterly amazing there. The wind was mostly blocked because of the bay, there was no one else there, the tide was starting to come in and it was snowing pretty good at that point. And that’s how I ended up running through my Tai Chi forms there on the beach, in that little rocky bay, with just the waves, the snowy wind, the seagulls and loons for company. It was a moment of sheer perfection. Such beauty and calming energy. Precisely what I needed. I’m so grateful that I followed where the universe decided to take me today. I’m so grateful for that sweet lady who sent me along my way. I needed the reminder to listen to my heart.
