How I worshipped on the first Sunday of the year (2014)

On Sunday, the first in the year 2014 (feeling hip with my Nigerian sense of cliché), I felt I needed to get some inspiration to kick start the year and to bolster enough strength for the academic term for the kids as well as for work and family. So, off to the beach I went. The vastness of the ocean and the carefree manner in which the waves rose and fell – they always repeat the pattern (I wonder how many eternities the energy of the water has done this for) – reminded me I was part of something much larger than myself. The sky and the water blended together in a whitish hue, there was no distinction between them save for the oscillation of the water body.

A few other folks were also there – families, horse riders, the business owners, sellers of artifacts and wooden jewelries, and a priestess who came to ‘wash’ the heads of people who made supplications with outstretched hands and fervent expressions to the one who inhabits the vast waters.

Yes, I love the time at the beach. I went alone this time, the children were away on holiday and the hubby wasn’t well enough to make the trip down. I needed nature to uplift my spirits and not feel trapped in thoughts simply because I am physically in a particular geographical location on planet earth. The waves reminded me I need no permission to think and the ocean of how immense my (our) mind(s) is. I took it all in letting the waters caress my legs and hands and the cool breeze my hair, face and body. The sand felt clean and pure, having being daily bathed by the salt water. I again affirmed that the best things in life are free – no chains, no bars. Nature is enough inspiration in herself!

Afterwards, I went to the Nike arts gallery just few metres from the beach and fed my eyes and spirit with a wide array of incredibly beautiful art works. I learnt (from an artist there) that she – Nike – is the largest collector of arts in Nigeria. I again connected to the boundless minds from which the arts emanated. Feeling free and uplifted, I headed straight home after buying a few items (a magazine and a CD on the art of gele-tying).

How’s that for worship on the first Sunday of the year? Mind sharing where and how you worshipped?

Quotes:

 “Every day look at a beautiful picture, read a beautiful poem, listen to some beautiful music, and if possible, say some reasonable thing.” ~ Goethe


"Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all.”  ~ Vincent Van Gogh

" Waves are inspiring not just because they rise and fall, but because each time they fall, they never fail to rise again." ~ Unknown