Beach Day with Gracie

Yesterday was a beautiful day and one of those days where I knew I needed to get outside (for multiple reasons). After a 3-mile walk/run in my neighborhood, I came home and picked up Gracie and headed to the beach.

Our first beach experience with Gracie was definitely interesting. It was overwhelming and A LOT to take in. New smells, new sounds, new textures, you could clearly see she wasn’t sure how to handle all of it but slowly became more comfortable the longer we were there. The water was definitely a no go on the first trip. Gracie would sit and look at it but she would jump or shake every crash of the waves.

Our second trip to the beach the weather was just too good to pass up and the water was so calm. Gracie was definitely more comfortable with the sand, the shells and the people. But this time was different, she was ready (on her own time) to meet with the water. It was a slow crawl with a very loose leash so she would do it on her own but once she put one paw in, it was game on for the rest of the time we were there. Bouncing in and out of the waves, finding areas on the beach where the water pooled and rolling in it. The pure joy and happiness she had was incredible. All from learning something new and conquering a little fear.

Gracie is definitely a brave girl! As she has learned her commands, potty training (for the most part), and tried new things every day, she is also teaching me lessons and forcing me out of my comfort zone to try new things each day too.

I recently read a post on someone’s Facebook page, it said: “Sometimes in the winds of change we find our greatest direction”. As I have embraced many winds of change over the past few months, I am slowly becoming more hopeful of the direction I am supposed to be on. Every day is a new opportunity to learn, grow, try and conquer each small fear for a greater purpose of joy.