Your Precious Life by Shane Martin

Author:Shane Martin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orpen Press Ltd

6| savouring

‘Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.’

—William Feather

We become easily lost in the ‘noise’ of life and never ‘hear’ ourselves. People regularly say that they don’t have time to think. They find themselves always rushing to the next thing or trying to remember the last thing they forgot to do. We spend so much of our energy trying to achieve goals, but when we achieve them, we set even more. We can become exhausted and stressed with this approach to life. We can become engulfed by all the tasks, objectives and goals. Life seems to fly by and it can seem that we are merely passengers on the journey.

Sometimes I escape from my busy work schedule to the west of Ireland. Summer is my favourite time of year because I stop working for about six weeks. During the rest of the year I work hard and travel far. These weeks are different, and act as a retreat. My adrenaline levels lower. I find myself reading, listening to and playing music, walking and spending quality time with the people I love. They help me become more reflective and in tune with myself. My thoughts run more fluently because I am freer. I have more time for myself. I can hear myself think.

I have had a great affinity with Sligo since teaching there in the 1980s. Sligo has numerous sandy beaches where I regularly walk and connect with its majestic surroundings. Rosses Point is one such beach. The first beach is nearest the car park and for that reason is always more populated. The second beach is longer and tends to be less busy; it’s more open there, too. After walking the first stretch, you need work your way down to reach the second beach. I am always acutely aware of the power of the wind. Sometimes I stop and stare out to sea. The waves have a rhythm and power that is constant.

If I keep walking and climb over a hump of rocks at the end of the second beach, I will eventually find myself completely alone. Not many people bother with the third beach. I always take the opportunity if the tide allows. I find a quiet corner and lie flat on my back. I close my eyes and listen attentively to the world around me. Distant cars. Grasses swaying. The high-pitched cries of children from the car park. A warm breeze fans my face. Seagulls glide above and I hear waves batter the sands. In moments like this, I come to realise that I am here. Sometimes we are so busy we forget that we are HERE.

I savour these moments, knowing they are precious. I often wonder whether the locals become accustomed to the beauty around them. I feel that I’d never stop seeing, feeling, smelling and tasting its majesty. I think that when we connect to the world around us, we actually start connecting with ourselves.

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