The Zen of Sea Glass or How I spent Black Friday

Catch of the Day!

I love to collect, which makes me think I might be part squirrel or magpie. Although, I   have the very best intentions of using all my trinkets in projects, this is not possible.   Recently, I have taken stock of my many treasures.  I have more than I can possibly use in a normal lifetime.  Yet I still collect.  I have tried to stop.  So, I ask myself why?  

On Black Friday, I had an opportunity to look at one obsession more closely, the collecting of sea glass.  I took my son and his girlfriend to Belfast, Maine so they could shop and take in a movie.   Belfast is a perfect place to leave a couple of teens.  They can walk everywhere and it is a safe, peaceful place.  I am a collector,  but not much of a shopper.  So, I headed to the local beach because it was a glorious day in Maine, especially for November.  The sun was shining and it was pretty comfortable, despite the stiff breeze.  I   was ready with a turkey sandwich, a bottle of water, and a canvas bag for collecting. 

Collecting sea glass requires a certain sort of walk and focus.  Your eyes are down, you can't wear sun glasses, and you must walk slowly.  It is like a Zen walk.  The objective is to cover as much beach as possible.  So, you need to walk in a zigzag pattern along the shore.  You are watching with awareness for that variation in the sand and pebbles that means TREASURE!  

It is this process that I love so much.  It is peaceful.  I am surrounded by the sound of the waves which lull my mind to quiet.  Every now and then I  stand and stretch to take in the sights around me...beauty!  The sea glass search slows me down, which is something I need in life.  Also, there is something in me that makes being productive necessary.  Collecting fulfills this need, and gives me an excuse to go to the beach. 

I have recently realized that I love the hunt more than the "having".  I have started a second Etsy Shop: www.injoytreasures.etsy.com to release my collections and create more space in my life.  Thank goodness for Etsy...or the contents of my attic may have caved in the house!  Etsy helps with my obsessive need to be productive...but that sounds like another blog!

Process Enraptures my Soul!

Here are a few of those enrapturing moments....

Sea Glass in its Natural Habitat

Ahhhh...Stretch....See...Sea

My favorite photo....this is how I found a little green piece of sea glass...it was nearly washed out to sea before I  nabbed it....the word "no" is on it...I took it anyways!

Me Having Fun in the November Sun!