There is an interesting phenomenon taking place in this photo. At first glance everything looks perfectly calm. The sand is undisturbed with the exception of the rocks that are nestled into it, and the water lays relatively still by ocean standards. Looking back again, a person might start to notice the clouds overhead. The clouds that couldn’t make up their mind if they wanted to release their rain or let the sun through to warm things up. Perhaps things weren’t so perfectly relaxed after all. The truth is, the sand, the ocean, and even the birds and small animals that visit this beach on occasion don’t spend time worrying about what it is the clouds will do. It’s beyond the control of either the landscape or the wildlife and therefore not worth panicking about. How nice is it when we, as humans, can have this same perspective on things? Being able to focus on the things we can control, while remaining calm and steadfast even when facing the unknown is a priceless skill. A skill that we often work at our entire lives. It means knowing that even if hard times lie ahead, we will figure out ways to overcome them. It’s an ability to sleep well at night assured that there are few things in life worth losing out on much needed rest. Looking at this photo we can see a visual reminder of how one calm and steady element can create peace throughout an entire area. A glimpse of the sky alone may have left us feeling unsettled and unsure, but adding in just one steady stretch of beach grounds the entire image and leaves the viewer with peace. With some practice, and carefully trained perspective, we can be that grounding calm in our own lives. We can learn to be intentional in our outlook. We become skilled at keeping our focus on the pieces of life we can control, because in the end that’s all that really matters. Then, when we become that piece of certainty for ourselves, we can also share that gift with others.