Regardless of Whatever the World Thinks.

A few months ago, back in October, I made a trip to the lake.  On the beach, I ran into an older woman, walking her dog.  She noticed me taking photos and looking for sea glass, and stopped to ask me if I was an artist.  She was.  We ended up talking for ten minutes or so, about art and all sorts of other things, before she sent me off to a different part of the shore to take pictures of some interesting sand formations.

The woman was one of my favorite sorts of ladies.  Everything about her screamed Eccentric and Fun.  Within the span of our ten minute conversation, she told me about how she’d grown up on the Atlantic, and now came to Lake Ontario every day to swim.  On this particular day, it was 50^o out, and the woman was still planning to take a quick dip.  Trekking back up the shoreline, returning to my car, I watched as the woman stripped down to her swim suit and walked out into the lake.  In an odd sort of way, watching her slowly wade out into the water, looking strong, proud, and incredibly at peace, was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

I want to be like that.  To have the courage to do the things I love and the things which make me happy, regardless of whatever the rest of the world thinks about them.  Or about me. 

How lovely it must be to feel that okay with yourself.