She was gracefully dancing in the waves. She finally understood how you could feel so detached from the world, yet be at one with it.

I wouldn’t claim to have a favorite season or location. I love them all. But I do have more favorite feelings than I could possibly begin to count on my fingers. One of my favorite feelings happens on the shores of the ocean no matter where that may be. It’s the feeling of cool ocean water washing over my toes. It’s the smell of ocean in the air and the warmth of the sun on my skin where my Cherokee roots seems to peek out the strongest. It’s that messy hair without a care in the world and a smile that I can’t seem to get off of my face. That roar of the ocean that is music to my soul. It’s the feeling of sitting on the beach from sun up until the amber rays meet the night skies. It’s the very second that I become enthralled with the moment of where my life sits. Awestruck at what lies before me and peaceful at what lies behind me. It’s the moment when time stands still and everything goes silent around me and all I can do is look up and say thank you with an indebted heart. The one where I allow every problem to wash away with the waves that crash into the shores and wash back out to sea so gracefully. It’s the feeling of the ocean. It makes me feel so wild and free.

This weekend was a weekend that God knew I needed. Right time, right place, and the right people. He’s always on time, and it never ceases to amaze me at the blessings that he puts in my life in that very moment that I begin to question the need for a slow down. I hadn’t realized how consumed and overwhelmed that I had allowed myself to get with the current chaos of life until I stepped out of my routine and out of my comfort zone. I’ve gotten so used to feeling the need to have full control of my life out of the necessity of running my own business as well as maintaining a strong GPA of a full time student. I hadn’t realized how hard I have been on myself until I remembered how to let go. It’s not the big things that worry me, it’s all of the small little details that overwhelm me. And Sadly, I had to remember what it felt like to let go again and what it felt like to laugh again. That real belly aching laugh when you can’t help but to squirm in your chair because you can’t control the joy that’s coming out of your soul.

The beautiful thing about this weekend was that I felt me for the first time in a long time, and I remembered in that sudden moment what it felt like to be free again. I have been wading through deep waters that I sometimes make more difficult for myself. But this weekend I was the Chelsea that everyone knows, that even I missed. I laughed harder than I have in a long time. My stomach and cheeks are still sore from the laughter. The kind that hurts so good. The kind of laughter that makes my heart happy.

I am beyond thankful for the girls that came into my life a year ago. I had no idea looking back that life would be where it is today. That I would have such a strong group of girlfriends to add to the blessings of loved ones that God has already bestowed to me. We come from all different walks of life and met through completely random introductions and life decided to move on in a beautiful way. God always knows exactly what we need and he supplies our every need mentally, physically, and emotionally. Sometimes it’s just reminding myself of that. We all know I’m a firm believer in the fact that nothing in life is random, and this weekend has proven that even more true.  We talked our self into tears through deep conversations about life and love, then laughed again through the tears. We laughed so hard that the people surrounding us couldn’t help but laugh either (the elevator rides were the best!). There is nothing that makes me happier than watching people light up with joy that they didn’t have the second before, that moment when laughter becomes contagious.

To say the least, the ocean stirred my heart strings this weekend as did the hearts of those girls. It inspired my imagination and brought eternal joy to my soul. I am grateful for these moments and these memories that will forever overwhelm my being. Here’s to lessons that turn into such beauty and to not loosing sight of the splendor that surrounds us in each and every moment. Never forget to be wild, barefoot, and free every chance you get.