I have been fortunate to spend almost every New Year’s on Marco over the last four decades. With one of the most amazing white sand crescent beaches, it delivers sunsets that only God could paint.
I love going to the beach on New Year’s Eve to watch the very last sunset and on New Year’s Day to watch the very first sunset of the year. It has become a ritual of mine to walk the beach, meditate, thank God for the year that’s passed, and set intentions for the new one ahead.
Some people like to start the New Year with resolutions or choose their “word” for the year. I prefer to start with a question. What will you reveal in 2023?
Last September, Marco Island endured Hurricane Ian, one of the worst hurricanes in Florida’s history. The damage was unfathomable, with over 150 mph winds and 20 inches of rain, the physical and monetary implications are still being calculated.
I have many friends who are still awaiting repairs, have lost personal items such as boats and cars that drifted out to sea, and of course, the invaluable loss of lives. The optimist in me tries to make sense of such devastation or see the silver lining.
Shortly after the New Year, a silver lining appeared.
Since I’ve been visiting the island for over forty years, I’ve witnessed the shifting shorelines of the four-mile white sand beach. I have seen it almost disappear and then be restored by sand-trudging renovations. It’s been an exciting and interesting science observation to watch the evolution of nature on Marco.
This year something magical happened.
At the south end of the beach, there was a point where the white sands ended. In 1980, when we began visiting Marco, South Beach was an abandoned military missile tracking base built in the 1950s. The U.S. Navy used the base during the Cold War.
As a child, it intrigued me. It was a mysterious attraction, surrounded by a barbed wire fence, “KEEP OUT and NO TRESPASSING” signs, and reef rocks that made it hard to reach. It eventually evolved into Cape Marco, a property of six luxurious high-rise condominiums, which some may argue oddly disrupt the natural view.
Around that south side of the island, past the base or what is presently Cape Marco, are the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, fishing docks, and what used to be boat slips for condominiums that lined that shore of the island. In the past four decades, and maybe more, there was no natural beach to walk on this side of the island.
Until Ian.
For residents, I don’t have to state the obvious. For visitors, the island took quite a beating from Ian, and the storm surges were responsible for most of the damage. Water and waves crashed into most of the docks on the south end, swallowed many boats, and choked the plumbing of many buildings and their luxurious pools. But, after Ian challenged the island’s integrity like obstacles often do, he revealed her strength and beauty.
Around the corner from Cape Marco and the reef rocks, another white crescent beach appeared. She rose up with silky soft sand from the gulf, bright fluorescent green rockweed, starfish, sea snakes, and conch shells. Giant lightning whelk shells that haven’t been washed up on the shores for decades and were abundant; like a still life waiting for artists to render their organic detail. It was as if a treasure chest was dumped on the island’s south shore.
It reminds me of a quote from Ryan Holiday’s The Obstacle is the Way,
“The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.”
This new sand beach is in an improved condition. Whether it be temporary or permanent, I felt it was like a fairy tale. I discovered it on my walk after a moonset yoga class. Beyond enthusiastic, I felt like a kid seeing the Magic Kingdom for the first time. There she is!
On this morning, the sun was rising intensely bright. I could barely look out to Caxambas pass. It was an emotional experience because it symbolized a sort of resurrection to me. After the death and destruction of Ian, new life and beauty appeared. Blinded by the light, I was forced to close my eyes. I gave thanks for this extraordinary power of nature and how it mysteriously always provides.
Immediately I was aware of the lesson nature was teaching me and the theme for my new year’s resolutions. What obstacles and challenges in my life have revealed hidden beauty?
Like the abundance of artistic shells and unique sea life that had come to the surface, what gifts inside me are hiding under sea or storm waters?
So I ask you:
What treasures have you been hiding?
What life storm has uncovered your soul’s desires?
What can you reveal this year from the depth of your ocean?
Like the glistening rockweed, shining jingle shells, and the shimmering white sand of this newly emerged beach, we all have gifts that have been hidden that need to be revealed.
What will you reveal in 2023?