I was recently invited out for a weekend with family who have a house on the North Fork of Long Island near a beach. Last Sunday morning, I went for a walk on a section of the beach that was completely empty of people. It was just the sound of the water, my sneakers crunching on the sand, rocks and small shells, the blue sky with soft clouds and me, along with some chirping birds in bushes adjacent to the beach. It was indescribably wonderful.

We’re all bombarded with news, emails, texts –many about political events which are disheartening. These are usually layered on top of commitments of one sort or another. I don’t meditate so I can’t say it’s easy for me to tune out the noise and craziness. But for that hour along the beach, I was able to tune it all out.

The feeling of calm and peace was quite wonderful and it’s an hour I’ll remember for a long time. Now I just need to find ways to replicate it without needing to go to an empty beach.