“I listen again to the whispering waves,
Music of nature calming and brave.
Its power unknown, its stillness untamed,
Mysterious and magical, a treasure earth claims.”
Excerpt from poem Whispering Waves by Edel T. Copeland
Where is your happy place? The place you feel the most peaceful, the place you dream to be when you’re not, and your heart overflows with contentment when you are?
For me, that is the beach. It always has been. Due to a combination of extremely happy events, I now get to live at the beach full time. It was always my dream, and now it’s a reality, thank the good Lord!
I get so much out of walking the beach, year-round, during the heat of the summer, the briskness of the winter, and every month in between. Here’s probably a partial list of the benefits I get from walking on the beach:
1) I get my steps in. I’ve never been an athlete, but I’ve always understood the importance of getting off my “butt” and being active. Since I have no athletic talent or aspirations, I don’t commit
well to sports. I’ve tried yoga, tennis, water and regular aerobics classes and walking on the treadmill, but it’s so easy to blow off if you don’t enjoy it. Or, let’s face it: dread it. Walking the beach is different. I love it. I get there at least four times a week and when I don’t, I miss it. My phone counts my steps and it’s my greatest chance at hitting my step goal.
2) I clear my head. Okay, I’ll admit it, I’m that crazy lady walking the beach by herself, talking out loud. Who is she talking to? I can see beach dwellers wondering as they stare at me. When I was younger I would try to disguise my talking out loud with headphones or a phone to my ear. Now, I just let the crazy fly! I’ve reached an age where I can describe talking out loud while walking alone on the beach … “quirky.” Talking out loud helps me come to a conclusion, better than thinking quietly. I sometimes talk about my writing project. Flesh out a character, work out a plot point. Sometimes I pretend like someone is interviewing me about my books and answer imaginary questions. Sometimes the topic that I talk about is something deep-rooted; a problem in my own life that needs to be worked out and I’m the best one to discuss it with.
3) I enjoy the amazing beauty. Everywhere I look is beautiful. My cell phone gallery is filled with gorgeous shots. You can’t help be a great photographer when you have these surroundings to deal with. God created the ocean and the shore, and wow, did He do an awesome job of it! The Psalmists recognized what an amazing treasure the oceans are. It’s wondrous to me that these words were inspired so long ago by the very view I walk by every day. It’s truly miraculous.
Psalm 95:5-6: The sea that he made belongs to him…. Come! Let us worship and bow down!
Psalm 65:5-7: O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.
4) I draw inspiration to write my books. In my introductory post here on Inspy Romance, I shared the story of how I came to write inspirational romance, and how I incorporated my real life love for Pawleys Island, South Carolina to create the books. Grounding my fictional stories in my real-life Happy Place made it easier for me to build a setting that the reader could get enveloped in. My morning beach walks transform into the pages of my story while I share my Happy Place with my readers.
Here’s an example, from my book, Roadtrip to Redemption:
A smile played on her lips as she rounded the side of the house and took in the view she’d been aching to see: the direct access to the ocean. Her heart exploded with joy and she broke into a run toward the water. A path led through a patch of waving sea oats, an oasis of green growth before reaching the clean tan sand. She leaned down to untie her shoes, then kicking them off helter-skelter, and her socks after, she continued her trek to the ocean. When her toes hit the waves, she shivered. June was early for this part of the Atlantic, and it would continue to warm over the coming months of summer. But it was still delicious.
She waded into the water until it reached her knees, then turned and walked the length of two more houses till she reached a twenty-foot line of stacked rocks, a breakwater jetty that on this private beach, had been built every three house-lengths or so, to protect the shoreline from erosion by redirecting the water currents.
Where is your Happy Place? Why do you love it? Leave a comment and I’ll enter you in a drawing for your favorite format of Roadtrip to Redemption (paperback, Kindle or Nook).
**Heartwarming, life-changing Christian fiction.** An award-winning author, Laurie is living her dream life at the beach, writing novels. Laurie writes beachy inspirational romance that takes place in the South Carolina Low Country. She retired from the big day job and now focuses on writing full time. Strolls on the sand, soaking up the sun and riding the waves can be considered the best kind of research.
Hi Laurie. I enjoy being outdoors- beach, mountains. If I really had to choose- then the beach would probably edge out mountains, but it is close!! At the moment we are having another patch of cold weather, so our plans to go the beach this weekend have been thwarted by wet and cold- when most of Australia is in drought, I am grateful for rain.
Blessings:)
Hi Laurie! My happy place is also the beach. I am blessed to live close to several amazing Lake Michigan beaches. Unfortunately this year with record high water levels, lots of rain, and high winds Lake Michigan beaches have seen lots of erosion with lake homes at risk. Waves washed over several historic lighthouses. Last week the city used front end loaders to clear the sand from the road and sidewalks. Usually this is only done in May after the winter and spring storms. So while I drove by the beach, not much walking. I also talk to myself. Receive funny looks at the grocery story as I am mentally going over my grocery list. As a retiree, I’m sure shoppers think I have Alzheimers. Enjoy your week and walks on the beach. Best wishes.
Beautiful post, Laurie! My happy place was a creek in the woods near my home growing up ..but I haven’t been there since 1983…!
Yes we are facing a cold spell so my beach walks will be bundled in warm clothes! I’ll have to work up a sweat.
So sorry to hear about the shore damage on Lake Michigan! I hope peace is restored soon. Glad to know I have a fellow talker-out-louder. We’re not crazy, we’re quirky!
Maybe you should plan a trip!
I’m with you. My happy place is the ocean, most specifically the wild west coast of Vancouver Island. But my other happy place is where I live, in a farming valley amid the mountains of British Columbia, with lakes and tumbling rivers. I think, honestly, that WATER is my happy place!
Sounds beautiful! And yes I agree it’s the water. Calm, peaceful, roaring, majestic water.
I love walking on the beach in all kinds of weather but we only visit once a year or two. I enjoy sitting in my backyard watching birds and butterflies. We have feeders and a butterfly garden.
I’m a homebody, so my happy place is at home. My family is my comfort zone as well as my church family. Anytime that I can spend with them brings me peace.
I live on the Oregon coast, so my beach is just a five minute drive/ 10 minute walk away. But I have to admit, I don’t often go there. Even though we have a nice wide walkway called The Prom to stroll along and watch the world go by, listen to the waves & seagulls calling to one another. Summers are chock full of tourists & it gets SO crowded, and when the weather changes, it gets cold & windy. I like walking with someone, preferably my husband. I don’t like to to alone, though I know health-wise it’s better to walk then not at all. Okay, I know you didn’t mean this post as a guilt trip…but I know I need to do more physical things, even if it’s just for a few minutes a day. We have a very walk friendly town and I can go anywhere to get a few steps in, even if it is just around a block or two. My neighborhood is quiet, surrounded by woods and not a lot of traffic comes through. So really, I have no excuse! :-) But like I said, I don’t like to go alone…I just need to convince my husband to take an evening stroll with me. Not only is it good for your health, but it could be a way to connect after a long days work ;-)
Oh that sounds beautiful! Although my dog “loves” birds and would chase them all away in her exuberance.
Thanks for the comment! I consider myself a homebody too. I always get excited when I wake up knowing nothing is on the calendar and I can fill my day with the things I enjoy — and most of those don’t require leaving the house!
Walking is the perfect answer for you, like me, to get in your activity. Like I said, I hate exercising! I have an extremely fit family — my older brother just ran his NINTH marathon and his wife runs 10Ks and half marathons. Meanwhile, my simple goal is to walk (at a steady but leisurely pace) two to three miles a day. And sometimes I don’t make it! But like I said, I stand a better chance at meeting my step goal at my Happy Place than anywhere else! My thought pattern is: if I don’t take advantage of walking now, while I’m still healthy, someday I won’t be able to walk and I’ll regret not doing it while I could.
Maybe you can call a friend, or make a new friend to walk with. Best of luck starting a new walking habit!
I’m not much of an outdoor person, I hate the bugs the most. But I do love the woods, just not to linger in! So I’m most comfortable inside, in me recliner, with a book and a glass of tea. Enjoy your day!
For twelve years we lived on Amelia Island in Florida. It is a barrier island off the northeast coast just north of Jacksonville, FL. I used to walk barefoot on the beach every day except in the winter. We now live in the desert of Arizona. Quite a switch, but I love both places. Right now my happy place is on a tennis court with my friends.
My happy place is outdoors in my garden or on the beach, but in rarely get there. Blessings
That sounds like a lovely Happy Place!
Wow! That’s quite a move from a tropical island to a desert! I admire your tennis talent. What an exciting sport.
I love the beauty of gardens but don’t like the work involved. I’m so glad there are people like you with green thumbs who put in the time to make things grow.
Wemble It seems every weekend lately has been cool and wet. We tend to start to get warmer Tuesday really hot Thursday and the change comes by Friday night and Saturday is wet or has showers. That’s how its been the past 3 weeks. Today is Tuesday and we are going for 20 so hopefully it will be a good weekend.
If I could afford it I would visit Hawaii every year. I love the relaxed lifestyle and the beauty. every night I would go and watch the sunset (Unless I was on a tour) and just enjoy the beauty. The other place I love is the west Coast of BC Canada. I love the mountains I think it was also partly my friend who lived there but I loved seeing the snow at the top of the mountain. The top of Whistler was breathtaking.
I use to love going for a morning walk and I would take my little mp3 player with my music. I did a lot of thinking and using my imagination on those walks and looking at gardens etc. Since I hurt the Achilles last year its still not healed but I have a new bike and am now riding that a bit more.
One of my happy places is NW GA. I love to be there when the leaves are changing, and the scenery just speaks to me. Also, I like the beach, though it doesn’t like me as well. I love the hear the waves, they are sooo relaxing!! I also like walking at a couple of parks near my home when the weather is cooler!!
I need to travel a little more to hit both your Happy Paces! They sure sound beautiful. I’m sorry about your injury and wish you a full recovery.
Ah, fall foliage! Yes, how beautiful. I love the sounds of the waves too. So calming and relaxing. Isn’t it special to have a place like that?
I, too, love the beach. I love listening to and watching the waves, walking in the sand, and the smell of saltwater in the air. I also love seeing the differences in beaches along varying parts of the coast.
You and I are kindred souls, Jessica!