Water is an essential part of my life and a great teacher to me.

I cherish going to the beach, as it empowers me.  You may have guessed this through the theme of my blog. I look at the mighty rocks on the shore that stand firm despite the waves which persistently crash against them. The intensity of the tide will vary; and the rocks will be shaken, depending on the water’s strength.

One may think the water will always win; I disagree.  The water cannot be controlled, but the strength of the rocks can.  The rocks don’t give up, knowing that soon the tide will give way and the crashing will stop for awhile.  

In life, there will constantly be waves crashing at you and trying to get you to be something that you are not.  You cannot control the behaviours of others; but, you can control your’s and how you react to the situation.

Sometimes in my life I have felt like the rock, with the constant crashing of the waves against me. In the past, I hid my talent, myself, and my voice, because I didn’t want to stand out and be judged. I used to try to avoid the crashes, but now realize this isn’t the smartest technique. I can’t wait for the tide to go out permanently, as the ebb and flow of the tides is universal and will never stop. However, I am not letting the crashing stop me from following my journey. I am standing strong against the persistent waves.

One of the hardest waves crashed against me unexpectedly about three years ago; instead of succumbing to the water, I have let what I learned from it to motivate me in a positive way.

I was watching a hockey game with a group, and the night was going really well.  It was a fun and epic evening where the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team had won an Olympic Championship game giving them a berth in the final.  I was so excited! At the end of the evening, I commented to the group about how I was proud of the women. 

Then someone responded that females aren’t good at sports and aren’t competitive. This person decided to share their thoughts about this topic in a fifteen-minute commentary belittling women’s overall athletic abilities and participation in sports. I was in shock; as they were demeaning everything I stood for, especially since I am a female athlete.  But, I stayed silent, as everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I focused my energy on the overall accomplishments of the Women’s Hockey Team.  Well, I went home and sat in my room, numbed. But, I reached out to one of my best friends who helped me brush off the negative outlook and stand back up.

I truly believe that events occur in your life to teach you a lesson.  The lesson I learned from that night was the importance of being you.  

Even a strong rock has the ability to eventually crumble to the sand if the waves don’t stop. You can’t control what people will say to you. You can control, however, how you will react: if you will crumble or stand firm and persevere being you. Individuals also need to look for some “like- minded” rocks to hang out with to help dissipate the power of the waves.

I am thankful that this event happened to me, as it made me see the importance of learning to be yourself and to share this with others.

Thank you for reading and your presence at this beach retreat. You Rock! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below.

See you at the beach!