Finding Solace at the Seaside

Peace, Sea Glass, and Small Joys

Oct 17, 2025

Finding Solace at the Seaside

Peace, Sea Glass, and Small Joys

A weekend by the sea, a reminder that joy isn’t something we chase — it’s something we let in.

It feels as though last week’s post really resonated with many of you — it’s the one I’ve had the most engagement with since starting my Substack. Whilst it’s comforting to know I’m not the only one feeling this way, I’m also sorry to learn that so many of us are struggling to pause and quieten our minds.

Following last weekend’s post, I escaped to Southwold. Although it was another weekend of doing, it felt like the perfect place to pause. When you’re away from home, many of the things that stop us from resting simply fall away. You can’t feel guilty for not doing when you aren’t there to do. I find it so much easier to fully surrender to rest when I’m not at home. There’s no guilt. I can just be in the moment.

It was a weekend of slowing down and tuning into the things that bring me joy: spending time with my family, eating delicious cinnamon buns, drinking hot chocolate piled with whipped cream, enjoying ice creams, and taking slow walks along the beach hunting for treasures. (I found sea glass for the first time — and the smoothest stone, which I plan to keep with me and run my fingers across when I feel anxious. It was so calming to touch.)

We popped into beautiful independent shops, and I treated myself to my favourite Norfolk Natural Living perfume and a candle for Christmas. Cosy pyjamas and early nights followed. It all just felt so needed for my very tired mind and body.

My only regret was that I didn’t make it into the sea. I still crave cold water, but I need to get over my fear. (For those who are new here, I contracted a bacterial infection from swimming in a lake earlier this summer and was very unwell as a result. It really knocked my confidence — I’m still fearful of catching something again.)

We also visited the Southwold Lighthouse and took a tour, which meant we could go inside and walk to the top. I learnt that the Southwold Lighthouse is classified as a vessel and therefore considered “female.” Somehow, that made perfect sense to me. Her beacon of light keeps watch, guiding those in need home or safely into port. She helps sailors find their bearings — a steady point of reference amid uncertainty.

I like to think of the lighthouse as the motherly figure of the town: keeping an eye on everyone from above, offering guidance and support, standing strong, tall, and proud — a beacon of hope, with the town built up around her.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to mother and to be mothered— not just in the literal sense, but also in how we mother each other. Those who offer a safe place to be ourselves. Those who inspire and encourage our dreams. Those who show up in our hour of need. Those who guide us when we feel lost. Those we look up to and feel inspired by. Those we can confide in.

I’m learning that it’s impossible for one person to be all those things to us, no matter how much we might wish they could be. That’s why we need to build our own village of women who can mother us through different seasons of life — our own lighthouses to guide us to safety.

Our last stop on the way home was The Southwold Flower Company. Thanks to the “Southwold Sausage Dog Walk” (I’ve never ever seen so many sausage dogs before - we spent all morning thinking wow the people of Southwold love a sausage dog only to find that it was a Sausage Dog meet up that people from all over came to!) But due to this the flower fields had opened specially on Sunday. I seized the chance to visit — and I wasn’t disappointed.

Oh my goodness, I was in my absolute element. For £7.50, you could fill a jam jar with as many flowers as you could fit, and there were rows and rows to choose from. I was in my happy place, spending twenty minutes creating a beautiful bouquet of autumn hues. I’ve never seen such a wide variety of flowers to pick from before — it was pure joy.

Flowers make my heart sing every time I look at them. The two-hour car journey home, clutching my jam jar while tiny insects emerged to say hello, was absolutely worth it. (Although I’m not sure my family would agree!) Every time I look at that vase of flowers, I smile. I’ve taken countless photos and can’t stop admiring them.

They brought me more than joy — they reminded me how important it is to make time for the things we love, because that’s where the joy lies. Filling my “joy cup” does wonders for my mental state; it literally puts a spring back in my step.

I’ll finish this week with two quotes, that have resonated with me this week;

“Most of what we chase doesn’t matter. Busy is a choice. Peace is one too. One looks successful. The other actually is.”

To live a peaceful, joy-filled life — that’s my ultimate goal. I have to remember that I don’t have to prove anything to anyone else. This is my life, my story and my rules. I really hope this is the decade that I finally step into myself and fully believe and embody these words. I don’t want to be the scared little girl any more who wasted forty years of her life worrying what others thought of her. This, this is my decade of being unapologetically me. The decade where I finally love myself and embrace every ounce of joy that comes my way.