Tag: Nature’s Teachings

Stars Over Alabama…Sea Turtles

Stars Over Alabama…Sea Turtles

photo 2The early evening was quite exquisite as it unfolded from layers of colors painting the sky. A steady but gentle breeze kept bitting flyers away and kept the air cool. Soft, white sand moved underfoot as I walked over the dune to join my teammates near a nest that was due to hatch. One hundred fifty loggerhead sea turtle eggs had been producing active hatchlings over the past few days and when I listened with the stethoscope at noon, the high level of activity gave me hope that tonight would be the night they would make the journey to their new home…the sea.

photo 3I settled into my beach chair and adjusted the back so I could gaze into the kaleidoscope of color above me. Of course I left my big Nikon at home and had only my iPhone to attempt to capture the beauty. We took turns listening to the turtles through headphones as they worked their way up from nearly two feet under the sand. We united with excitement as their work was almost non-stop.

The night was so welcoming to us and the newly hatched loggerheads. The nearly full moon arched across the Gulf of Mexico and we hoped it would encourage the babies to continue their climb.

photo 5
At midnight the first babies appeared.

At midnight, the first nose appeared in our monitor screen. WOO HOO! We tend to get our gloves on too soon sometimes. We wear gloves in case we have to help one that loses his or her way and tries to climb toward a porch light or street light or condo lights down the beach. I was one of the counters so I got in position and then realized it could be a while as the first ones to the top of the nest generally rest a while until their brothers and sisters join them.

Gradually more little ones begin to emerge.
Gradually more little ones begin to emerge.

Finally, I stretched out on the sand and laid gazing into the starry sky. The sand was a bit chilly but it felt quite good on my back. The moon couldn’t obscure the bright stars and I found myself lost in star energy while my body remained grounded on the Earth. As I relaxed my eyes and breathed in the sweet cosmic energy, I felt a subtle yet powerful shift within myself. I felt transported to another dimension and went into a meditative state. Then….a small, human head poked up from behind me and two eyes met mine from an upside-down perspective.

“May I help you?” I quietly asked. “What are you doing?” the boy asked.

“I’m looking at the stars,” I replied. “Oh,” he said and then added, “When are the turtles gonna hatch?”

We continued a quiet conversation until he got bored and wandered off. I continued to lay in surrender to the night, to the turtle’s time frame and released my need to hurry or push.

photo 6
The nest grows darker with hatchlings as they prepare to ‘boil’ out of the nest.

I stood up after a while and went over to the iPad monitor where the infared camera was delivering a play-by-play of the progress. The sand appeared to be breathing as it swelled and bulged and moved as more babies made their way to the surface. I began videoing at the suggestion of our team leader and within seconds the ‘boil’ started. All those sleepy, resting turtles were catapulted into action and thus began the next step of the journey for this group of loggerhead sea turtles.

It’s past 2am but I needed to wind down a little. The shooting star that streaked across the sky on my way home topped off the evening nicely. I wonder if it would be too much trouble to ask my cats for a sleep-in morning….

Making Peace with the River

Making Peace with the River

photo 3The only ripples on the surface of the water were those created by mullet, alligator gars and other fish schooling. The mirror-like river seemed to breathe peace. A few months ago it was a raging torrent that brought terrible destruction that created fear and chaos but today it invited me to reconnect, to dance…to renew friendship.

As I paddled my SUP board, the carbon fiber blade sliced through liquid reflections of clouds and I felt emotions arise that took me back to that scary night when the docile river became a viciously flowing white-water river that raced through yards, homes…though lives. I realized my reluctance to paddle these many weeks since then was due to resentment or distrust I had towards the river. I had trusted it completely and then it seemed to go berserk.

SimoneLipscomb (6)Of course, it’s irrational to resent a force of nature. It wasn’t responsible for paving over acres of land in nearby towns that causes water to run off the surface rather than soak into the ground. This quaint waterway didn’t cause two feet of rain to fall in 24 hours nor did it fill itself in with sediment from development erosion. The river didn’t do any of this….it’s just a river that reacted to an event.

As I pondered the resentment and distrust I felt, I realized how closely the river mirrors my life. Recently I’ve been journeying deep within to simply listen to what I say to myself, what thoughts I think and repeat. It has not been easy. I have felt the effects of a near silent destructive force of negative self-talk. As well, my perfectionism has been a dark force in life that, at times, feels like a ton of baggage that weighs down some of my most creative ideas and endeavors.

SimoneLipscomb (31)While I want to feel that calm, beautiful peace within, there are times when it feels like a river raging through my innermost calm. Sometimes a little extra force is good but when it becomes destructive it isn’t good or beneficial.

Perhaps it takes an inner storm every once in a while to clear out what’s no longer serving the higher purpose of life; however, it’s probably much wiser to avoid creating situations that produce such intensive experiences. For instance, don’t pave over or ignore emotions as they tend to build up and become bigger than if allowed regular expression. Don’t ignore the negative self-talk that can quite literally keep us stuck, mired in self-doubt and fear. And maybe most important…be kind and compassionate to ourselves.

Today as I paddled in the early-morning calm, I made peace with the river; I made peace with myself.

Patience…Stillness

Patience…Stillness

simonelipscomb (13)Toes trip on toes.

Destination matters not.

simonelipscomb (8)Stop and rest.

It’s dark anyway.

simonelipscomb (6)Shhhh….

My heart wants to speak.

simonelipscomb (11)Stop.

Enjoy starlight.

simonelipscomb (10)Patience yields purpose.

Stillness creates the map.

Lessons from an Elephant in Bondage

Lessons from an Elephant in Bondage

article-2682388-1F6E1EA200000578-509_634x523The story had been circulating through Facebook for about a week now and I had been avoiding it because I knew it would upset me. But today I felt the courage to read it.

article-2682388-1F6E1EBD00000578-369_634x661An elephant in India had been in bondage for 50 years. Not just tied up for half a century but shackled with piercing bonds around his ankles. He was forced to hold out his trunk and beg for coins from passers-by and survived only on plastic and paper for food. A group of rescuers (Wildlife SOS) heard of his plight and saved him. Under cover of darkness they took 10 team members, 20 forestry employees and six police officers to help him. They took Raju fruit as they fought with the owner who was illegally mistreating the animal. Their words soothed him and nurtured him as much as the food he so desperately needed. As they began to remove his spiked hobbles and chains, this magnificent creature began to cry. Real tears.

article-2682388-1F6E1F4F00000578-992_634x956As I read the article I too began to cry. Tears for the elephant—this beautiful, kind soul. Tears for the rescuers and their profound compassion. And yes, tears for the man who mistreated Raju.

article-2682388-1F6E23B400000578-803_634x475I pondered the story all day and what I came to understand is how Raju is a powerful teacher for us.

The mind is a powerful tool in our lives that can turn into a slave master. It can create shackles, even spiked shackles, that hold us back, keep us stuck and create a living hell where we are enslaved to starve spiritually and emotionally. Our beliefs can become so powerful that we cannot realize there is a better life available.

article-2682388-1F6E1EA700000578-231_634x422How do we become slave to our mind? Simply by allowing it to create scenarios based on beliefs about who we are and what we are capable of doing. If we grow up believing we don’t deserve happiness or that we’re stupid or we’re not talented…or whatever negative belief we hold…we reinforce this belief by practicing it. It’s like playing golf and developing a bad swing. It’s not that we really want to play badly, we simply build on a faulty or inefficient swing and our game gets worse.

So if our mind enslaves us, then what frees us? What becomes the rescue team that unties our bindings and frees us to stand and grow into the fullness of being?

It can begin with a simple question: What if I’m wrong? What if the beliefs I hold about myself are incorrect? What if I am smart? What if I am creative? What if I’m capable of living my potential? What if I can commit to a relationship? The list is endless.

article-2682388-1F6E1E0200000578-486_634x414If we begin to feed ourselves mental food that is nourishing, the shackles gradually begin to loosen. In other words, we become our own rescuers; however, we don’t have to do it alone. We can form friendships that nurture our wholeness. We can join groups that empower us. We can practice good self-care, however that looks for each of us. We can nurture our dreams instead of deny them.

It is our birthright to fully develop into the potential we were born with and to express the gifts that are part of our soul experience. We can shine brightly and fully when we stop abusing ourselves, stop allowing others to do so and fully embrace the abundant richness of spirit we are meant to experience. We hold the keys to the Kingdom of Love and Light…and the keys that unlock the shackles into which we have locked ourselves.

article-2686961-1F876BE400000578-224_634x421It’s difficult to make sense of such mistreatment of our brothers and sisters such as Raju but if we take a bit of time and seek the lessons contained within, we honor their pain and suffering as we use it to gain better understanding of our own lives. We all have the capacity to be the abuser, the abused and the rescuer. Which do you choose to be to your self? To others?

article-2682388-1F6E1EF300000578-83_634x449

Read the article

I Stopped Trying to Save the World Today

I Stopped Trying to Save the World Today

simonelipscomb.com (10)Solstice. Sunrise. Sunset. Moon. Stars. Inky blackness in a space vacuum pierced by pinpoints of light.

simonelipscomb.com (2)Cosmic glue. Love. Source. Spirit. Animation of matter through particles of light.

simonelipscomb.com (14)Heart and mind open, light sparkles through eyes and aura.

simonelipscomb.com (7)Light, mist of Love manifested in physical. Light and love, same expression of the Mystery, the Unnamable.

simonelipscomb.com (4)Defining It lessens It and contorts It into our image.

simonelipscomb.com (11)Light came from Dreamland with me this day–a flower opening, a single ray of light from the sun…smile of a friend after a belly laugh slurped from the same straw.

simonelipscomb.com (15)Today I stopped trying to save the world. Now there is only laughter and beauty. Outrageous laughter. Delicious beauty.

simonelipscomb.comStopped pushing, began allowing. Profound peace is at home within me. And now….everything is possible.