1. 8 LIFE LESSONS I LEARNED
WALKING ON THE BEACH
It isn’t just sunshine and sand, you know?
(Read between the lines…it isn’t about the shells.)
!
Copywrite Edyn Roberts 2014

2. Even though, or maybe because, I am Canadian and have spent almost all
of my life in southwestern Ontario, where the winters can be very, very
cold, I LOVE beaches, and warm weather. A friend of mine loves winter,
and can’t wait for snow so she can ski. Not me. I’m all about sand, sea,
and sun. As a result, I try to spend some time somewhere like that
every year. Usually, it’s somewhere on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
And, because I am also fairly introverted, I also like to vacation alone.
Seven days by myself is like Heaven. It allows the noise to stop. So, I
spend a few days most every year, walking on the beach, usually for an
hour in the morning and an hour in the late afternoon. If I do it right,
after some time, I can usually calm my mind and just think. Not about
work, or projects at home or anything like that. Just think.
This is the result of some of those walks on the beach.

3. BEAUTY IN CHAOS
Shells, many of them broken or the size of a pin head, pieces of
drift wood or sticks, sea life, toy sand pails and shovels, candy
wrappers and pop cans…there is a lot of “stuff ” as you walk
along the beach. But, if you take a little time and look beyond
the noise, there is beauty among the chaos.

4. QUALITY VS QUANTITY
There are millions of shells
on the beach to choose
from. Be patient, and have a
selection criteria. It doesn’t
have to be perfect, you just
need something to help you
know what you're looking for.

5. BE FLEXIBLE
The selection criteria is just a starting point. Nothing in
life says you have to stay within the criteria you yourself
set, to the exclusion of other possibilities. If you see
something special, grab it…you might find a great use
for it later. Just remember to be selective…not rigid.

6. NEW DAY, NEW CHOICES
Everyday, the landscape of
the beach has changed. In
fact, it changes minute by
minute…footprints are
washed away, birds come
and take things away, the
tide rolls in and out…it’s
never ending change…and
every minute is a new
opportunity to discover
something.

7. YESTERDAY’S SHELLS ARE
GONE
As Alice Walker pointed out,
one can never experience the
same river twice…it changes
infinitesimally, and continually as
it flows. Just so, if you miss the
shell you saw yesterday it is
gone. Focus on the shells that
are here today, take action, grab
what grabs you today, and
remember that what interests
you today might be different
from before because you are a
different person today.

8. DON’T OVER FOCUS
Look around at something
other than the 36 inches in
front of your feet. Don’t
focus so much on finding the
perfect shell that you miss
other opportunities Take a
look left…and see the bird
hopping across the wet sand.
Look right…and see some
dolphins swimming in the
surf. Focus, but don’t miss
the big big picture.
“Open your eyes.
Open your eyes.
Open your eyes.
Open your eyes.”
— Vanilla Sky

9. BEAUTY ISN’T PERFECT
Perfection is scientific,
mathematical, symmetrical. And in
nature, perfection can be rigid,
uninteresting and bland. A shell
might be flawless and complete,
but does it’s perfection stop you
and excite you enough to pick up
the shell? Does it excite your
emotion? Like the short story “The
Birthmark”, imperfection is
humanity and to rid ourselves of
beautiful flaws in favour of chasing
perfection is aesthetic death.
A diamond with a flaw is worth
more than a pebble without
imperfections
~Chinese Proverb
"Mosaic" labrador retriever - purebred but not
necessarily “perfect” Lab with a somatic black spot
mutation that causes a mottled colouring.

10. STAY PERSISTENT - YOU NEVER
KNOW WHAT YOU’LL FIND
The rare shell that you only
see in tourist shops, that
you’re positive is somehow
man-made, is out there. You
just have to be patient, be
aware, and keep looking. That
beautiful, complete, elusive
sand dollar is out there…but
not everyday or even every
year you go to that beach.

11. CONNECTING THE DOTS…
1. Beauty in chaos - A lot of what happens everyday is stressful and negative. It’s easy to focus on the problems rather than to stop and look for
the positive amid the mess. Stop and look around…in the face of the bad stuff is an opportunity. It’s perspective, attitude, and being open to
seeing a positive.
2. Quality vs quantity - Without a criteria, we can’t make decisions. As with shells, the world is full of lots of great opportunities and it isn’t
necessary to settle…for mediocre, for less than…simply to fill the bucket. It’s better to choose the best…solution to a problem, job candidate,
job offer, apartment, potential mate…than to just take all of it and then try to work through sheer numbers. Where would you start?
3. Be flexible - I set a criteria that shells must be unbroken, perfect, unique and FACE UP. If it were face down, I couldn’t flip it Who says the best
part is the part you can see at first glance? I allowed myself to veer away from the last one…if it caught my attention, I could turn it over and
check it out. If an interesting option you hadn’t considered in setting the rules, presents itself…be open to considering it. But, the shell had to
still maintain the other criteria - see #2.
4. New day, new choices - Everyday is different from the one before, with a whole new set of opportunity and chances to take. It will be different
from yesterday if you are open to seeing that.
5. Yesterday’s shells are gone - Like the book “Who Moved My Cheese?” what happened yesterday is done. You can’t change it. Be present and
focus on what offers itself to you today. Don’ t miss it because you can’t let go of what you can’t change that happened in the past.
6. Don’t over focus - Don’t get so focused on the singular task at hand that you miss interesting alternatives or ideas that may come up. If I had
kept my head down, focusing on the 3 feet in front of me and 3 to either side, I would have missed some dolphins playing in the surf, the graceful
gliding pelicans, and of course, the gorgeous sunsets.
7. Persistence - Getting the great stuff is sometimes hard and very often takes awhile. There’s a saying…anything worthwhile is worth waiting for.
Greatness doesn’t appear often or regularly - you have to be in the right place at the right time, patiently wait for it, and be open to seeing it and
grabbing it when it does appear. One walk on the beach ins't likely to deliver the perfect sand dollar, the shark tooth, the turtle shell. Just like the
perfect house isn’t usually the first one we look at, the best employee isn’t usually the first one we interview, the best idea isn't usually the first
one, it takes time to get rid of the training wheels and fly on your bike. Keep at it.

12. •
“Wait!” you say. “That’s only seven!”
•
Yes, that’s seven. Number eight is this:
•
If you are quiet, thoughtful and present, you can
find something to think about and learn from in
just about every situation and environment. A
little quiet is a good thing and it allows your mind
to be clear and open to seeing the lessons in the
everyday.