Thoughts on Serenity at the Beach + Decorative Pillows and Inspirational Fridge Magnets

Come summer or when revisiting memories of summer, it often feels to me that there’s no place to soothe away the worries of your life like the beach. Whether it’s an empty beach inviting to meditation or one crowded with people, the splash of the ocean or sea waves usually manage to take your thoughts away on a journey, or simply plump you firmly in the moment, in a place where you are only aware of baking in the sun or the movement of your legs through the surf that rolls onto the sand, pushing your ankles a little with every breaking wave.

It feels so good to walk there on the shore, by the surf, and it feels good to both resist the sea and give in to it, because sooner or later you are prompted to either go for a swim in the sea or allow yourself to be taken over by the waters of said sea as you sit down at the edge of the beach. Whichever you choose, the splashing of the waves are loud enough to engulf your attention and draw your mind away from other people into a place where you find . . . serenity. And some healing from one or more wounds you carry inside, which is bound to happen after a certain age. Also peace and bliss coming out of a place of pure joy if you’re a kid with a happy childhood.

Unfortunately, we don’t all live by the sea, or can go to the sea on the weekends. But the memories stay and possibly the lessons as well: there is a way to abstract yourself from the crowds, to fall into yourself, in a good way, with the help of nature, and, finally, you may get the sense that it’s important to give in to the larger things of this life and world, not only in order to have a better grasp at yourself but also to accept that there are larger forces at work in this life and world.

And the Serenity Prayer is all about that kind of action and acceptance, too: “the courage to change the things [you] can” and the wisdom to accept whatever you can’t change—the things larger than you. Also to seek the serenity that comes with this acceptance!

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Here are some recent decorative throw pillows and magnets I made with views of ocean and sea waves and sand from the beach and the famous inspirational first stanza quote of the Serenity Prayer, and more about seas and beaches below.

Here’s one of my favorite images, with seagulls flowing over a beach with relatively calm waters at sunrise, on a flexible photo magnet.

And here’s an equally amazing image of pristine blue turquoise sea water and white sands, on a decorative pillow. The back has the same image and motivational quote as the front. Note that the text is much crisper on the actual pillow.

And now again that inspirational sunrise at the beach, with a row of seagulls flying up in the skies, also on a throw cushion.

I also have a second stunning photo of a sunrise or sunset at the beach, this time with orange skies and light. I featured it on both a fridge magnet and throw pillow.

And now a few other decorative pillows and flexible photo magnets with a few choice images of ocean or sea waters, sand, and skies at the beach.

And now the first image again, collaged twice on a decorative cushion case, since the original image wasn’t large enough to print on such a pillow (but then I like the result better anyway in this instance). By the way, please note that the above designs come not only with a pillow case but also with the cushion itself.

I have two more photo pillow and magnet designs with seascapes, one with choppy waves and another with super calm and clear waters rolling onto fine white sand. And then I have more of these images and some of the ones above on a few other flexible photo magnets.

I can’t imagine the joy of having a pristine island beach to yourself! The closest I’ve been to something like that was on the Greek island on Thassos, but it wasn’t anything like the above view from a tropical island. Thassos is, of course, surrounded by beaches on all sides, so there was room for everybody, but there were still up to twenty people on the beach even in the secluded spot we found, and there were also restaurants. The latter were really nice, because we kept ordering snacks to eat on the beach, but they did interfere a little with the enjoyment of the sounds of the Mediterranean sea and winds. The sea, however, was super clear and it was a joy to swim in it. I also appreciated that it didn’t go abruptly very deep, as it now happens in Romania at Mamaia, where they rehabilitated and extended the beaches. Hopefully they’ll do a better job in the other Romanian resorts at the Black Sea, if they haven’t already. This is phase II of a project aiming to counteract the coastal erosion at the Romanian Black Sea and create 200 more hectares of sand. All in all, this project cost one billion euros.

The paragraph above just made me want to go to the beach right now. Too early though, even though here in Romania the season technically opens with the mini vacation of 1 May. But the temperatures are not there yet. Right now there are 16°C in Mamaia (61°F).

Back to more magnets. I love these thin, high-quality flexible fridge magnets, and am happy Zazzle offers them once again (they appeared to have a glitch with the vendor of these customizable items for a while).

I hope you enjoyed today’s presentation. I’d appreciate a pin or share if you found any photo magnets or decorative pillows to your liking.

To a happier, healthier life,

🙂 Mira