I was recently on vacation in Cape May, a charming resort town in New Jersey. After hearing about the Cape May Ferry, I decided to take the 80 minute boat ride to Lewes, Delaware. It was a beautiful morning with calm seas. There were several miles along the journey where you could not see any land. It had that middle of the ocean look and feel.

After a day exploring Rehoboth and Lewes beaches, it was time for the return trip. The captain brought my attention to a pod of playful dolphins and one performed a skillful breach. My attention turned even more toward to beauty of the sea. There was no land in sight and the ocean breeze was delightful. In an instant, I felt like I had been meditating for hours. I felt an extraordinary sense of peace. My mind was clear of thoughts — just awareness of sights, sounds, sensations, and scents of the sea.

In that moment of extraordinary peace, I felt like mother nature was meditating me. Curt as frequent meditator became the “meditatee” — it was happening to me without any techniques or effort on my part. Such joy, such freedom. It was delicious.

Sometimes I experience this peaceful state when I practice mindfulness meditation. It tends to show up when I have the patience to sit for 45-60 minutes. What I learned from the ocean meditation is that deep peace is really just a breath away. It’s available in all moments. We just have to open to it.

I invite you to become curious about moments when life is meditating you. Enjoy!