I was visiting my sister in Florida earlier this year. We stayed in a little hotel by the beach. Taking a long walk on the soft sand, barefoot under the smiling sun, is one of my favorite things to do. I know I'm not the only one. Walking on the beach brings with it an innocent feeling of being seven, free and one with the elements. What a sweet and refreshing feeling.

On one of my walks, I was observing a large group of seagulls having a crumbs party on the sand. As I came close, they scattered. Some were flying to the sky, others diving into the water. At that moment, it dawned on me that the seagulls have the ability and the freedom to enjoy the three domains of nature: the sky, the water, and the land. They can move from one domain to the other with graceful ease. The whole of nature seems to be their playground. What a great way to live.

I had a moment of envy; I too wanted to be a seagull. Then, I realized that we as humans have the same freedom within our souls. Physically, we can enjoy the Earth, the water, and the sky (skydiving, sky-gliding, etc). But what's more important is that our souls can soar to the dimensions of visions and dreams unseen to the naked eye (sky), delve into the waters of emotions (water), and enjoy the earthly senses of life (land).

We are all soul seagulls. We just need to free ourselves from fears that bind us, preventing us from soaring as high as we can, or delving as deep as possible. Spring, a time of renewal, hands us a yearly invitation to shed some winter old fears, and allows a new sense of freedom to flower.

Take the invitation and renew.