I held my first Mindfulness Beach Walk & Meditation last week.
Five beautiful souls met me at 6:30 AM at a beach in Santa Monica. Still dark out, we met in the parking area and walked to our spot together. Laid down blankets and towels, and circled up.
First we meditated, then we walked for about 30 minutes listening to a curated playlist, followed by circling up again to write and talk.
I had prepared some writing prompts in advance, however as I was walking, a line in the Sara Bareilles song from the playlist (“Once Upon a Time”) inspired a new writing prompt. First, the lyrics of the song below – and then I’ll highlight the line that popped out to me. See if you can guess as you read:
Once Upon a Time
Once upon another time
Somebody's hands who felt like mine
Turned the key and took a drive
Was free
I recall the sun sank low
Buckley on the radio
Cigarette was burning slow
So breathe
Just yellow lines and tire marks
Sun-kissed skin and handle bars
And where I stood was where I was
To be
No enemies to call my own
No porch light on to pull me home
And where I was is beautiful
Because I was free
Once upon another time
Before I knew which life was mine
Before I left the child behind
Be
I saw myself in summer nights
And stars lit up like candle lights
I made my wish but mostly I
Believed
And yellow lines and tire marks
Sun-kissed skin and handle bars
And where I stood was where I was
To be
Once upon another time
Deciding nothing good in dying
So I would just keep on driving
Because I was free
It was in this line: “Once upon another time, before I knew which life was mine, before I left the child behind, be”
“Before I left the child behind.”
What was that feeling of freedom for each of us, before we left the child in us behind? How did we feel free? Before the world told us who we should be. Before we took on responsibilities, worries, things to manage, ways we thought we needed to show up in the world.
What was that feeling when we were in the present moment, joyfully alive?
And So, We Remembered
As we sat together, we all connected to a time when we were younger, when we felt a sense of freedom. It was so beautiful to hear these moments shared out loud, with such specificity. I love to think about how these moments connect to who we are right now. Are we craving uninterrupted hours with a friend to create something? Do we want unlimited alone time to write stories and design worlds? Are we craving a feeling of freedom through community? Or are we feeling that deep need to let our fear step aside so something unexpected and slightly out of character can emerge?
The question for all of us remains: how can we tap into this feeling of freedom now, as adults? What made us feel free when we were younger will most likely make us feel free now as we’re older – or at least some version of it.
I’ll keep what the members of our group shared as private, however I’ll share the memory I tapped into.
It was when I was 10 years old. I spent that summer (and several summers before and after that age) at my swim club called Red Oak. I would leave bright and early every weekday morning to swim for hours on the swim team, and then spent the rest of the day lounging on towels and talking with friends in the sun, playing tether ball, or Marco Polo, or Shark. We would drink syrupy, icy soda from the machine, play backgammon, walk barefoot on the pebbled walkways, and share secrets until our parents arrived in the evening. The adults would arrive with coolers full of food to grill, they would drink cocktails and laugh amongst the tall trees of The Grove. We kids would run around in the woods and play games at dusk until we were all called to eat together in the dark. It was magical.
It was community.
It’s no wonder that in these recent years I’ve been deeply craving a sense of community with like-minded people traveling on a similar path. A path of connection, growth, spirituality, joy, and authenticity. Of discovering the ways we can each shine our unique light.
And so, I’ve decided to design these worlds again for myself and for others who feel this call.
What about you? Can you take a moment today to connect to a time in your life when you felt freedom, before you left the child behind? And can you commit to bringing a version of that back into your life?
This is where we can find ourselves again.
Thanks for listening. Keep holding the light. xo, Laurie
NOTE: For those of you in the Los Angeles area, I’ll be holding another morning beach walk, meditation, and community gathering on Friday, November 17th. The focus of this gathering will be on gratitude.
Email me to save your spot: LaurieGrossman@me.com
Venmo: $22 @laurie-grossman (4-digits: 5087)
Love this so much. ❤️❤️❤️