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Woman Speak
June 30, 2017

Greetings. I wrote this little ditty awhile back and never hit the Post button. Here goes:

May 7, 2017    Clearwater Beach, Florida

BF opened the black-out curtains of our eighth floor, beach-view room at the Clearwater Hilton to reveal gray clouds. And high winds. And a deserted beach. Most of my life, a blustery day at the beach would have set me firmly down the path of miserable-pitiful. Not anymore.

Instead, I stayed wrapped in the covers and sipped tea until BF left for his 8:00 conference meeting. One Western omelet later, I was headed down the shoreline bundled in a sweatshirt, relishing high tide, soft sand, and solitude. That’s when my Serendipity Angels stopped by for a quick visit in the form of a 50-something, progressive thinking, like-minded woman.

If two souls can recognize one another in passing, that’s what happened. It was as if my heart whispered, “Talk to her, you’ll like her.” I threw my arms out toward the choppy ocean, looked up at the gray sky, and said, “Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Yes!” she agreed, matching my enthusiasm. Wind whipping our hair, we stood, waves lapping our ankles, sharing twin epiphanies regarding our ability to celebrate beach power—even in inclement weather. It was her last day and she was grateful to allow the wind to blow her cares away. We talked of the joy of trading a bikini-worthy body for experience and wisdom. The seeking of adventure rather than a tan. We shared our plans and dreams, and the sheer joy of approaching the next decade as an opportunity to grow and learn rather than as a time to obsess over what’s lost. The sheer excitement of freedom—the future. Promise. Do we expect all sunny skies? Now, that would be ironic, wouldn’t it?

We were two women who stopped to chat on the beach, who in a few days would return to our respective homes two thousand miles from one another, who bonded over a shared philosophy regarding our primary purpose on this earth: to discover joy and share it. We traded email addresses and hugs and were on our separate ways.

Don’t know if I’ll ever hear from her again, but as I walked away, I looked out over the choppy Gulf and said simply, “Thank you Angels.”

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2 Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing Woman Speak! I love these instant and intimate connections occurring when you dare to invite a stranger into your world…”talk to her, you’ll like her”!
    Keep spreading joy and inspiring others to live a life of joy and adventure! ❤️
    -Libby Love

    Reply
  2. Love this so much. And it is just what I needed to read today as I start my first day of retirement tomorrow!? Thanks for sharing it!

    Reply

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Debi Dixon

Debi Dixon

The Universe is guiding me on an incredible adventure: my Plan B. I write here to share bits of my Odyssey, hopefully to inspire, encourage, or extend the virtual hand of friendship.

When I quit teaching in 2014, I could never have imagined the growth I would experience through travel, writing, reading, therapy, and introspection.

I believe human connection and compassion will go a long way toward our healing, and the best way to connect and feel compassion for one another is through the sharing of our stories.

Thank you for joining me here. I appreciate you and may we grow together.

Inspirational Quote

“You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.”
~Joseph Campbell

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