The Universe Returned Something I Lost in the Ocean.
Perhaps it was a coincidence. But at the time, it felt like faith.
The glistening turquoise waves rose steadily with a gracefulness that comes from strength.
We had found the perfect beach.
My mom and I were exploring the Eastern Coast of Oahu in a red convertible — a one-day splurge made possible with points. We had enjoyed some scenic stops that morning, but this was the first place that resonated with perfection.
There was shade. No crowds. Gorgeous rock formations hugging both ends of the beach. And the waves were just right — enough to be fun, but not too much to be dangerous. We were exactly where we were meant to be.
In this season of my life last fall, I was embarking on a new life adventure and had the distinct sense of being guided. This, of course, is a state I aspire to sit within for all of my life, but there was something about the ease with which it came to me that made this time a bit more magical.
I had spent three months in Bali on a sabbatical earlier that year, where I had experienced a deep opening and sense of alignment. Upon my return to the US, I would strive each day to “see with Bali sunshine” — to stay in this presence of being guided. And in just a few more days, I would be returning to Bali for a more permanent move, with this Hawaii trip inching me thousands of miles closer to Indonesia.
Sitting in the shade on this beach, I felt we had been guided to this perfection.
My mom and I soaked it all in. The waves danced before our eyes. The salty breeze filled our senses. The expansiveness of the ocean calmed our minds.
After a few moments, I knew the water was calling me in, despite how sandy and sticky I would be for the rest of the day. For life is all about diving in. Seizing the moment. Experiencing the joy of right now.
And it was time to play.
I enveloped myself in the embrace of the ocean, positioning myself close, but not too close, to a family playing about. Each wave would come from behind, lift us up and move us. The kids close to me were laughing. I was smiling a deep-hearted smile.
I was free.
I was dancing with the universe, moving in harmony with life and surrendering to this Divine play. I did not think much about my prescription sunglasses perched upon my face, for I wasn’t submerging my head. Plus, they were allowing me take in the gorgeous beauty of nature all around me.
And then a big wave came.
It was exciting. Exhilarating. The best one yet. It came up high and thrust me forward. The kids near me squealed with delight. I laughed out loud, feeling the joy of it. When I opened my eyes, everything was bright. Too bright. It took me a second to realize that the sunglasses had been knocked off my face.
I slipped quickly into reactivity and panic mode.
These were expensive sunglasses. I had wanted to bring them to Bali, and it was far too late to arrange for another pair. These were also my magic sunglasses. They had had some prior misadventures, but were returned to me in a manner that sparked a beautiful friendship. I didn’t want to lose them. Self-judgement and regret abounded.
Oh, how quickly the mind can shift from utter peace and joy into reactivity. Peace and bliss catapult suddenly into a topsy turvy world. But in the back of my mind, a steady voice of knowing nudged me: “Just ask the universe to return them to you.”
“Calm down,” I consciously told myself, in a voice different than the knowing. “Stop reacting. Breathe. Calm down and ask the Spirit.”
But my mind was in overdrive, and I couldn’t calm it down at will. So I did what I could do: I got out of the water for a different perspective. I walked over to my mom to elicit some help — for I really couldn’t see without my glasses. I wish I could say I calmly requested her help, but I didn’t. It came out as a ‘freak out’. Yet still the voice of knowing within urged me: “Calm down and ask the universe to send them back to you.”
I stood on the shore, looking upon the place where I, just minutes before, had been surrendered to a state of delight. “Calm down,” the voice of knowing gently nudged. “Ask the universe.” When I considered how the universe might return them to me, I imagined I would see them be ushered up on shore by the waves.
The cacophony in my mind was finally receding. I took a deep breath. With a calm and steady mind, I shifted my focus to a posture of surrender. I brought back the Bali sunshine into my eyes. “Spirit, please give me back — ”
My thoughts were cut off by an exclamation: “I found them!”
The dad of the family, still in the water, lifted my glasses in the air. Apparently something had brushed up on his leg, and in his confusion, he reached down and found that it was my glasses.
I smiled. My faith soared. I didn’t only find my glasses after I had asked the universe, they were returned to me at the precise moment of my asking. I wasn’t even able to finish the request in my mind.
This might seem trivial. They were only glasses after all, albeit $350 ones. There are many more woes in the world that need solving, more important than these glasses. But for me, this was my moment. My moment to know I needed to cease reacting and to calmly make my requests to the universe. To operate in a state of non-reactive flow and to know that flow moves the things that are meant for me, toward me.
It may have been a coincidence. I’m sure people can find a way to explain things away. But on my journey of the Spirit, looking through my Bali eyes, even everyday coincidences have meaning.
So I carry this experience with me as my miracle. For it reminds me not to react, it reminds me to calm the mind, and it reminds me to trust in the hope of the universe.
And whatever unfolds in my life, the truth of these reminders will guide me to a more effective and uplifted state of mind. To a place where action is intentional. To a place where peace resides. Even when my request of the moment isn’t answered so directly.
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