Tides of Memories

12 Days of Reflection | Day 2 | February 2023

Dreamy beach house views

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As I leaf through the snapshots of time today’s focus takes me back to February, a delightful, but cold few weeks cocooned in my most cherished beach house, the house on the beach in Tresaith, West Wales.

It was, and has been my sanctuary where remote work was intertwined with day dreaming, coastal walks and the simple pleasure of doing sod all. It was my retreat.  A stunning seven bedroom Victorian abode, that stood proud alongside a cluster of holiday lets.  A place I could runaway to for solace and inspiration. I loved how I embraced the aloneness.  I didn’t crave anything or long for anyone.  With only the ridgebacks and the dulcet tones on the radio for company, I always felt at peace.  

However, there is a bittersweet tinge, for the house on the beach, is now home to new owners. Gone are my beach house sitting days. No more waking up to crashing waves and howling winds while snuggled under the duvet with my coffee and journal.

I wonder whether I’ll ever return.

Will I ever find my way back to the house on the beach?

The yearning will never ever leave me. The more I think about it, the more I feel like I’m breaking up with the house on the beach.  I was thinking, could I be suffering from house heartache? Maybe this is what I’m going through, tethered to memories of a house I wanted to make my own. Where my only agenda was to be present, and revel in the simplicity of its existence.

If you’ve ever felt this way about a house you adored, maybe these therapeutic journaling prompts will be the balm for your soul…

1. Explore the relationship with impermanence.  What does it mean to let go of a space that held immense significance?  Reflect on the concept of transience and its role in life’s journey?

2. Identify the attachments you’ve formed with your favourite house/beach house.  What aspects of it resonate deeply with your sense of self or your desires for solitude?

3. Consider what lessons this longing might offer.  How can the ache of not returning to this specific place shape your understanding of resilience and adaptability?

4. Contemplate your evolving definition of ‘home’.  How has this longing reshaped your understanding of what constitutes a place of belonging and comfort?

Until the next time

Take care & stay safe xx