Soulful, salty air

Health benefits of sea glass collecting

Sea glass hunting, I discovered, does me the world of good! I have always been drawn to the beach, living only twenty minutes drive to the North East coastline. Whenever I visit, I always dare to have a paddle, the freezing waters (even in the summer) initially catch my breath , but ultimately make me feel awake, alive. Last year I was doing a little paddle and came across a large piece of well rounded, wave pitted sea glass. I picked it up and marveled at the simplicity of it, yet acknowledging the erosion that had to take place to get it to this point.

Never too old to learn

I watched a lady nearby, clearly searching for the treasure I had stumbled upon. We smiled at each other then stopped and chatted for a while. She was a pro, hunting for the glass a few times a week, selling it online to crafters who cannot get to a beach easily. She gifted me a lovely piece of blue glass she had collected, she showed me where the best place on the shoreline was to find the glass, when to do it, the easiest method to unearth it, the richest beaches to go, and the most informative forums to follow for like-minded treasure seekers. She taught me about pirate glass and the excitement that ensues when you find it. I learned so much in the half hour from this generous soul, and I think it was a pivotal moment in my life.

A life enhancing shift

I felt different after searching for a short while, I felt enlivened. My mind cleared, I felt a freedom and clarity that had not been there before. The mindful act of intense searching had taken me to a more simple state of being. I was hooked. I have since tried out all but one of the beaches she recommended, none of them have disappointed. Yesterday it was the turn of Crimdon Dene Beach, part of the Durham Heritage Coastline.

It was the first time out this year, the weather and appropriate tide times always a factor for success. Today the biting wind and the damp sea fret didn’t lend themselves for sitting and scouring one spot, it was best to keep moving, even though that required constant bending down to check the shingle. It took a while to get my eye in… the abundance of coloured shingle can prove tricky to spot some, especially as most of it is less than a centimeter long. It comes in all colours of the spectrum, but my favourite is the pale teal colour which reminds me of the sea on a warm summers day.

Spot the yellow sea glass, a rare colour to find.

I had a productive two hours, I found white, teal, green, amber, turquoise, yellow and black, yes black…. known affectionately as pirate glass, though it is unlikely that pirates were ever involved in its production. Pirate glass looks like any other black, boring pebble, until you have found your first piece, then you know what to look out for. This glass is so intriguing to find. Firstly, it looks slightly wet, especially when the pebbles around it seem dry and it is a little bit pitted, like coal. But you don’t know you have got some until you shine a light behind it which makes it glow a bright, deep colour. You never know what colour will appear, it is quite an exciting discovery, because most of the black pebbles I pick up are just that, black pebbles. I got lucky, I found four pieces of this ancient glass that was manufactured to carry liquids, the dark glass going some way to protect its contents in the days before refrigeration.

Black pebble?

No…deep yellow pirate glass!

Mindfulness finds the stillness within

Its not all about finding sea glass. The repetitive aspect of scouring the shoreline can help to free us from the inner thoughts, turmoil and worries we may be carrying. When faced with the biting wind, the crashing sound of the waves, the array of different coloured pebbles as far as the eye can see, the mind is fully engaged, there is no space for worry in that moment. And that counts as a win for me.

I am curious

What is your favourite activity for mindfulness?