November 21

We walked a path that ran alongside the ocean today before returning to downtown Carmel for some chill time and dinner. Although the entire day was wonderful --from the breakfast that was delivered right to our door to the stunning views of the water to dinner at Clint Eastwood's joint in town to a stroll to look at Christmas decorations-- my favorite part of all --the part that filled my heart with glee-- was when we stopped at a tiny, rocky beach.

I've never been a big fan of traditional, white sand beaches, but I've always had a thing for the rocky variety. I could sit for hours and sift through the tiny, multicolored treasures. As I ran my fingers through the itty bitty shells and beautiful, glossy stones, I felt at peace.

And when I came across the broken shell in the center of this image, I had a thought. That shell is comprised of layers of colors; the outward shades may be browns --and don't get me wrong here, browns are fine-- but underneath, where the outer shell has chipped away, is a beautiful, vibrant blue. Beneath the ocean-battered outer shell is a gorgeous, gleaming treasure. We're all like the shell: broken in places, but still stunning underneath the layers of extra 'stuff' with which we'd had to cope.

It's nice to think that in spite of it all, I'm still beautiful.