Life in so many aspects can be compared to a beach. There's a lot of sand and the grains never stay in the same position , they keep shifting as a result of both nature and human interference.

It may be the wind that blows it away, the waves of the water or people enjoying a run on the beach. the particles are always shifting and being displaced. this for me is a lot like how life shifts our position every other day. There's no staying in the same place for too long , just constant changes that force us to adapt just like sand adapts and takes the shape of whatever container it's in. Life has given me it's share of twists and turns, situations where I've had to make tough choices and sometimes learn from my mistakes. I would say these instances have made me a better person both physically and mentally. I have been battling dopamine addiction and trying to change my habits for the better but it has been no easy feat. I find myself going back to my old habits once in a while and this acts as a reset button and I lose my gains however I realized every time I broke my dopamine detox It was because of a stimulus either physical or mental.

A good example is when I tell myself that I will avoid social media until I'm done with my work and later on check social media during my free time, this tends to work for me if I avoid checking my phone for notifications. This means I either have to put my phone away from sight when doing something productive or leaving it it the other room so that I dont just pick it up for no reason and start using it. The problem comes in when I want to do something as simple as check the time or maybe make a call. I find myself forgetting I was on detox and as soon as I'm done with the initial task I tend to open my socials and end up spending quite some time just scrolling without noticing.

To deal with this I decided to buy a watch so that I wont have to check the time on my phone and I also bought a smaller phone , one that can only perform basic tasks like making calls and sending texts but not access the internet. I realized this hack worked for me. I lost but atleast I learnt from my loss

The times when I felt I'd lost the most are the ones I came out of a better person, truly Iron sharpens Iron.

This is my first article and I'm quite nervous because I dont know what I'm doing but I just felt I should write, It's all going to make sense in the future. I'm glad I made the first step and I hope I keep on writing, who knows maybe it's all going to make sense later on.

Just like the waves smooth the rough edges of glass shards into beautiful sea glass gems, life has a way of shaping me through its ebbs and flows. While the seasons keep shifting my sands, I trust that I’m being molded into the person I’m meant to become.

There are sure to be more storms ahead that sweep my foundation from beneath me, leaving me rebuilding once more. But with each reconstruction, my roots have the chance to grow deeper still.

And for that I’m grateful. The beach will always be changing, but its transforming nature is what makes it so beautiful. I step forward now with mind open to see that the same is true of life’s winding shoreline. One day I’ll look back at the terrain it has carved through me and find a polished masterpiece reflecting back from the man I’ve weathered into being.

Austine Ogutu

Articles by Austine

2023

LIFE'S A BEACH