A Judgment-Free Zone

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

There was an early morning this summer where I found myself, once again, sharing space with the seagulls and the piping plovers at the edge of the earth. It's my ritual of watching the sunrise, where I feel both powerful with my ownership of that time and humbled, for my smallness in such a profound setting. The remarkable thing about this particular morning was the scene that unfolded before me.

The seagulls in my home state of New Jersey are extremely well-fed and grow to be the size of small turkeys. Really, I am not kidding. One such creature was scouring the beach for sea life that morning, caring nothing for my presence as he (or she) stopped 7 or 8 feet in front of me to snatch a crab on his (or her) way back into the sea. This crab, also apparently from New Jersey, was nearly as big as the seagull. "Oh boy" I thought, what carnage is going to happen here?!?

The seagull, without thought or hesitation, began to methodically rip the legs off of the crustacean in order to get to the meat inside the thin shell. He (or she) continued the dismembering through three of the legs, yet the stubborn crab was still alive, attempting to escape each time the bird paused to eat one of its appendages. The bird then took a different approach by flipping the crab onto its back and violently pecking its sharp beak through the crab's belly repeatedly until it could pull out the meat and organs through the hole that the pecking created. And, still, the crab tried to get away.

This gruesome scene continued for a solid 15 minutes until the poor crab mercifully died and the seagull's belly was full. I was horrified, but fascinated. I simply could not turn away. What struck me about this morning was that I was judging the actions of nature. Yes, judging, with words like 'horrific' and 'gruesome.' You know, nature never judges me. Nature unfolds in exactly the way it is supposed to, and it cares nothing for who is watching, what living thing is harmed, or what joy and shelter it provides. It just IS. Humans bring their individual opinions and perspective to almost every situation. Nature has no opinions and is a master at providing perspective.

Feeling judged is one of the most soul-crushing emotions we allow ourselves to feel. It tarnishes our accomplishments, it damages our self-confidence and tests our faith. It serves no purpose outside of the courtroom. And, it is not easy to let go of. Suggestion: take a cue from that seagull, and from nature. Seek that reminder that you are EXACTLY who you are supposed to be and doing precisely what you are supposed to be doing right now, mistakes and all. So, next time you find yourself feeling judged, by people, by society, by yourself, think about where you might find relief. Just go outside.