intuition and the sea

My Madre has a wonderful intuition about things. She always has. 

It's a wonderful trait, really. She can sense situations from a mile away and always knows the right thing to say or do. Sometimes I don't understand quite why, and sometimes it's not always easy at first to follow her wisdom, but I'm always glad I do. 

Maybe it's a mother thing....I don't know. 

But I'm thankful for it. 

On Wednesday, my Madre proved herself once again when tensions were high and everyone was running around with their heads down - eyes fixed on our own separate roads of busyness, trying to avoid any collisions. Sometimes it's hard to remember greater perspective when you're so fixed on the tasks ahead of you. 

And Madre knew that. 

So at lunch, as everyone was high-fiving through the kitchen and trying to grab some food in transit, she looked at me across the room and said, 

"We need the beach. Let's just go for an hour or two." 

It was as if somebody flipped a switch in me, and I was filled with an urgency to get to the seashore...

Saltwater is the cure for anything, after all...even busy, hectic afternoons. 

So we jumped in the car, grabbed rice balls on the way, and headed off in search of salt air. 

And guess what...Madre was right once again. 

We didn't do anything significant. In fact, I think we only walked up and down the shore a few times and sat for a while just to watch the tide go out. But it was just what we needed....to breathe the cool sea air and listen to the waves crash on the sea wall. To not think for a while, and just be. 

It cleared my perspective. 

And I went home better able to handle all my busyness - with hair blown all over the place, toes covered in sand, and lungs full of sea spray. 

So I'm thankful for my Madre, today. For her ability to look beyond the present confusion, and turn to life's constant, simple pleasures....to rice balls, and windows rolled down, and to afternoons on the beach. 

She's a good one. 

Maybe I'm biased...but I don't think so. 

And I can only hope one day I'll be like her :)