The Garden of Roses: Stories of Abuse and Healing: Maximum Relaxation in Rockaway Beach

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Maximum Relaxation in Rockaway Beach

Healing is a Sacred Journey:

Maximum Relaxation on Rockaway Beach

by Virginia Pickles Jones

Many years ago, when my children were little, during the years after my husband and I divorced, I worried how I would support myself and my children. I needed inexpensive fun activities for them and for me. My deepest form of relaxation was resting on the beach while my children played. I brought a simple lunch of fresh salsa, tortilla chips, sodas in plastic bottles and Pepperidge Farm cookies, spread out a couple of beach towels and a picnic cloth and stayed the whole day. One of my favorite places to go was Rockaway Beach, Oregon. Now I am sharing Rockaway Beach with you.

Close your eyes and breathe in slowly and deeply…..

Think of what you are feeling.

Are you relaxed and happy? Stressed and anxious? Or just numb?

Go for a walk on Rockaway Beach. Take the kids. Take the dog. All will be content.

First, take off your shoes and feel the grains in the sand between your toes. Walk down the beach.

Walk along the water’s edge south to the Twin Rocks.

Walk down the sand strip between town and sea.

Relax with friends.

Play.

Walk back up the beach. Cross the sand dunes and take a trail to where the strip of houses, shops and cafes lines Highway 101.

Watch the Oregon Coast Scenic Railway train pass by…

slowly….

….slowly….

After all, how are you going to watch the coastal scenery if the train travels travels quickly?

Cross Highway 101 to Flamingo Jim's were you can find whimsy…

Or inspiration….

Or a Buddha…

…or two or three…

…laugh, relax, maybe even give Flamingo Jim some money so you can take the whimsy and inspiration home with you.

Walk back up the beach….

Contemplate a pebble in the sand.

Change your perspective. How does your view of your own life change as you change your perspective?

Play in the stream....

Play on the beach........

Sit on a log and rest for the day.

Close your eyes and breathe...

No need to think, just be…...

Now, what are you feeling?

Relaxed? Concerned? Happy? Scared? OK? Ready to go forward again?

Right here , right now, in this moment…

…..all is right with the world….

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Finding Healing From Abuse through walking through fun events and walking in nature:

I am a survivor of child sex abuse and date rape. I struggled with depression, anxiety, and low self esteem for many years until I began working on healing. I found healing through sharing my story in an atmosphere of safety, through learning healthy problem solving and relationship skills, and through learning self calming techniques such as prayer and meditation. Before I learned to pray and meditate, I found peace through walking in nature. Walking is easier for many people than prayer and meditation. Walking moves the body forward, and where the body goes, the mind follows. Moreover, when we walk by a beautiful view such as a waterfall, a sunset or a beach, we provide ourselves with an opportunity for awe. Awe creates a natural feeling of the divine as do prayer and meditation. In addition to calming our anxiety, walking through a Farmer’s Market or similar community event can provide us an opportunity for healthy fun.

As June, the mother who walked across Oregon in 2008, to raise awareness about child abuse says, “When the hard times come, they are easier to take if we have been having fun.”

Compassionate Gathering/Healing is a Sacred Journey works to provide opportunities to share our stories in safety, opportunities to learn healthy relationship skills, opportunities to have healthy fun through walking in fun neighborhoods and community events, and opportunities for a meditative connection to the divine through walking in nature.

The Garden of Roses: Stories of Abuse and Healing