Guided by the Whisper of Spirit
We each walk with a guide.
Some call it intuition, others the voice of the soul. I know it as Spirit, a quiet, steady presence that leads me toward the beauty I am meant to see.
Spirit does not always choose the direct path. There are days when it points me toward a place that looks ordinary, even empty, and whispers, Stay. Only later do I understand why.
Lessons on the Shore of Keaton Beach
When I arrived at Keaton Beach, the Gulf water stretched before me like an open book, the first page written in sand and tide. A small pavilion stood like a sentinel over the white shore, its western view promising sunsets worthy of reverence.
On the first evening, I stood ready, the camera framed, the light beginning to soften. Yet the sky was clear, no clouds, no drama, just the quiet beauty of simplicity.
The next night was the same.
On the third day, the heavens shifted. Storm warnings rolled across the air with the threat of tornadoes. Spirit’s voice was steady: Wait. When the storm arrived at low tide, my small rig rocked between two larger ones that shielded me. Outside, wind and rain swept the beach clean.
In the nights that followed, I returned. And on the very last evening before I had to leave, the sky opened in brilliance with colors deep enough to stir the soul. Spirit had not been withholding; Spirit had been preparing me, teaching that beauty often comes after we’ve endured the storm.
The Road’s Hidden Guidance
Spirit does not guide only through beauty. It guides through challenge.
Leaving Shenandoah, traveling south on I-81, I was making good time when a tire blew. The rig lurched, and I eased to the side, trusting the other tire to hold. I found a wide shoulder on a bridge and stopped; my hands locked on the wheel.
Hours later, roadside assistance had me moving again. The day I had planned was gone. Yet as I drove into the evening light, I realized: Spirit had slowed me down so I could notice what I might have sped past. The lesson was not in the photograph I missed, it was in the patience I gained.
When Spirit is Silent
There are mornings when I wake and feel nothing, no pull, no whisper, no fire. I lie still, thinking, why get up? The life of an adventurer still demands groceries, rain gear, and days without inspiration.
Yet sometimes, just when I settle into that stillness, a shift happens. The light changes. A soft wind moves through the trees. Spirit says, Go.
And I do.
The Wisdom of Presence
Spirit has taught me one enduring truth: You must be present to receive what is given.
Not every day will bring the vision you hoped for. Some days are practice, patience, or preparation. But when the gift comes, when light, color, and place align, it fills you in a way nothing else can.
Perhaps this is the question Spirit asks each of us:
When the path feels empty and the silence stretches long, will you still step forward, trusting that beauty waits ahead?
Rediscover what matters through nature
Feeling Overwhelmed or craving stillness? At Finding Nature’s Beauty, we create space to breathe, reflect and reconnect –with yourself and the world around you. Reflections, our newsletter, is designed to help you find calmness and clarity from the stress of everyday living by providing weekly inspiration, stories, and actionable ideas to guide you.