What started as a beach day ended up being a quiet teacher. This past weekend, Katy and I took a trip to Malibu Lagoon State Beach—a spontaneous adventure that ended up teaching us more than we expected about timing, patience, and the kind of spiritual path that feels right for us.
The Missteps That Make the Day
We started slow, letting ourselves enjoy a quiet morning. That part was great. But by the time we left, we were already behind schedule. We debated which beach to go to, drove in circles for a while, and when we finally landed on one, it was completely packed. The energy was chaotic, not the relaxing day we’d envisioned. So we pivoted.
A Moment of Recalibration
We stopped at Malibu Country Mart for lunch—a place that helped us reset. We found a shaded table, ordered food, and watched the world go by. Afterward, we made our way to Malibu Lagoon across the street. There, the day started to open up.
We sat on the warm sand, watched the waves, and let the tension of the morning dissolve. I jumped into the ocean, letting the salt water cleanse me. I’ve always felt that nothing beats the feeling of swimming in a natural body of water—so much more nourishing than chlorine.
Orange Robes and Inner Reflections
At one point, two Buddhist monks in orange robes walked along the shore. They stood out.
I didn’t feel drawn to the monastic path in that moment, but I did feel a quiet question arise: Am I truly devoted to my own spiritual path? But almost as quickly, another part of me answered: That’s not my path—and it never has been.
A teacher once told me that 99% of monks aren’t actually enlightened. That always stuck with me.
The real work, for most of us, isn’t in removing ourselves from society. It’s in staying in it, and letting our relationships, jobs, and everyday struggles refine us.
Enlightenment, I believe, isn’t about isolating ourselves from challenge; it’s about meeting those challenges with presence, again and again.
The Real Practice
That day, even in the beauty of the beach, I still felt little triggers—impatience, indecision, frustration.
At one point, the sun was shining a little too bright, the sunscreen was burning my eyes, and it had become quite windy which was causing me to feel cold after getting out of the water.
But instead of wishing them away, I did my best to make them part of the practice. Because if you can stay grounded when things feel messy, that’s the kind of peace that’s worth something.
Monks may live in temples and gardens, but we live in traffic and crowded beaches. And maybe that’s where our temple is meant to be.