Just like every other morning I got up to go for my walk on the beach today. It is such a beautiful sunny, warm day in Cape Town and no reason not to be out soaking up the sun, I thought to myself.
On my way down to the beach from my apartment I realised I am wearing my new trainers instead of the ones I always wear when going to the beach. “Never mind”, I thought, “I’ll just be careful not to get it wet”. So I walked thinking of the chaos in my head and how to get clarity for the work that I need to do today. I greeted a man standing next to his motorcycle mentioning what a perfect day it is for a ride to ‘Rooi-els’, which is a very popular route just outside Cape Town for bikers on a Sunday morning.
I took the path down onto the beach and just allowed my thoughts to start wondering, taking me on a wonderful journey of discovery. As I walked I suddenly became present to rubbish laying around on the beach and thought to myself, “those cleaners really need to come to the beach everyday not just once a week”.
My thoughts continued to wonder as I thought of the past week with my kids, things I said and did and how I could have done certain things differently. I wondered about my website problems, how to finish all my work before Friday, when to see my kids before my trip to India and how to calm my mind of the chaos and regain control.
While all these thoughts were whirling in my head, I suddenly spotted a beautiful shell on the sand. I picked it up and it reminded me of a dolphin. The dolphin is a very special creature to me. I always thought that should I ever be an animal I would want to be a dolphin. I see dolphins as very intelligent, beautiful creatures that love, heal and inspire people. Picking up that shell reminded me that clarity and calm is something I get when I am on the beach – one with the ocean. Just like the dolphin needs to return to the ocean after every jump into the fresh air I need to return to the ocean to revitalise my body mind and soul. That is what was missing this week, I did not fulfil on my own promise to walk on the beach every day. I skipped a day or two reasoning that I will go later when it is warmer for my boys to enjoy the beach.
I continued to walk towards the rocks where I sit and think things through, ask for help, express my gratitude and listen to the ocean. Many people were out on the beach enjoying the sunshine; I noticed how kids were playing and getting wet, moms taking the opportunity to soak up the sun and dogs playfully running free. How fortunate I am to enjoy all of this, I thought. So many shells and such beautiful colours and shapes and sadly so much rubbish lay between it all. I thought again about the council and the cleaners who were not there to clean the dirt up.
On reaching the rocks I noticed pieces of plastic paper and a disposable nappy, nestled between the rocks and torn to pieces by the waves. In a puddle between the rocks I noticed a big piece of plastic and thought I should pick this up and put it in a bin. I decided to put all the plastic pieces together and on my way back I’ll pick it up and throw it in a bin nearby.
I made my way further to the front part of the rocks – close to where the waves break. This is where I can hear the waves re
ally loudly – it blocks out the rest of the world – here it is just me, my thoughts and the sea. I thanked the ocean for its beauty, sound and fresh air it provides and asked for insight into my work problems waiting at home. I asked for clarity with my finances and peace of mind for my trip to India.
I suddenly realised that money is serving me and I do not serve money. Pondering on that thought I realised that all the time whilst interacting with my kids the day before they were the example of how money serves them. They have no attachment to money and allow it to flow and be of service to them – for their enjoyment. I realised how I was clinging to the money and in that I am serving it. Again I repeated to myself that from now on I shall not serve money, it shall serve me. I thought this was a very interesting lesson – and will certainly take this with me and implement it in my life.
Again I realised how grateful I am to the ocean for teaching me so much and giving me so many lessons. I held out my arms, opened my hands, closed my eyes and listened to hear if there were more lessons I needed to get. I absorbed all the energy and asked for healing, love and light.
“Thank you for giving me so much every day. I am one with source and it is one with me”, as I repeated this to myself I got up and made my way down the rocks. The waves splashed up on the one side forcing me to follow the path back where I came up. I noticed the plastic bag as I walked down and realised again how the ocean is steering me back to go pick up that rubbish. As I picked up pieces of plastic I wondered where I would throw this in and then picked up the big piece of plastic from the puddle, to my surprise it was a big plastic bag, big enough to hold lots of rubbish.
I realised the ocean gave me this plastic bag saying; “if you are really grateful show me and return the favour”. So I took the bag and started picking up rubbish as I walked back to my apartment. I was smiling thinking how amazing it is that I noticed all the dirt on my way to the rocks and how the Universe supplied that plastic bag to me.
I realised that there is a lesson in all of this for me so I continued to collect each and every piece of dirt I saw, bottles, plastic bags, straws, disposable nappies and even condoms – all the man-made things we leave behind on the beach after enjoying its beauty. Instead of feeling angry at the people for leaving it behind, I thought about it and realised that in their careless behaviour was a lesson for me.
As I collected the dirt some people just looked at me, some just walked by and others actually picked up a piece of paper or garbage which I missed and threw it in my bag. A man came walking up to me asking what I was doing. I answered him: “I am saying thank you to the ocean for giving its beauty to me and I am returning the favour.” He smiled and said thank you and walked on. 
I realised in that moment that we do not have to be a speaker on a stage to inspire and motivate people, it is in our everyday interactions with people that we get to touch, move and inspire.
I started singing a song that just popped into my head, “I’m on the top of the world looking down on creation and the only explanation I can find…..” in that song I got the lesson that living in love and kindness is taking and giving. I am always telling my kids to be loving and kind and today the ocean gave me an opportunity to display my love and kindness to it.
This was such a humbling experience. So I filled the bag and realised that there are lots more dirt on the beach and I need another bag or perhaps I can empty this one and use it again. I was getting hot and sticky now and thought maybe seeing the bag is full I can stop collecting dirt, but just then I spotted the bin at the top of the dune on the pavement. I dragged my now very heavy plastic bag, filled to the top with rubbish, up the dune. On reaching the bin I discovered it was empty, in it a big black plastic bag for all the dirt to go in. I removed the black bag from the bin and placed my plastic bag filled with rubbish in it.
So guess what, the Universe just gave me another plastic bag for all the rubbish left on the beach – so my lesson was not complete yet. Ok – I thought, back to collecting dirt then. And indeed there were lots more to collect. It felt as if the ocean was spitting out more and more dirt for me to collect and get the lessons I need to get. I walked and collected, still humming the song in my head. Dragging a heavy plastic bag was good exercise I thought, just like when I used to do physical training on the beach with heavy bags filled with sand. So now I was starting to enjoy the heavy bag – it was toning my body too.
There are so many benefits in this one act of kindness – I am so blessed to have received this today, I thought. I noticed a piece of crab shell
and thought it looked like a sad face on it and took a picture of it on the black bag.
I thought this was the ocean saying “it is sad to see all the rubbish on the beach”. After picking up a few more pieces of rubbish the bag was now almost filled to capacity. I was nearing the walkway up to the pavement and decided to take the bag to the bin. I thought I learned so many valuable lessons today and it was probably time to go home and start working on my website.
I realised that telling this story would be another way to inspire and motivate people and at the same time add value to my website. How amazing that I received all this out of one act of kindness.
As I approached the walkway, which was a little steep and with a heavy plastic bag was not so easy to walk up, a man asked if he could help me with the bag. I smiled and felt really grateful, I was now sweaty and exhausted. He carried the bag to the bin and said he lives in Port Elizabeth on the East Coast of South Africa and was visiting a friend in Cape Town. He added that he was really happy to see people cleaning the beach here too as it is something a group of environmentalist he belongs to often does on their beach.
We started talking about various things and ended up in conversation for almost an hour. It was really great to meet another person who loves nature and appreciates the beauty like I do. 
He saw this sign on the beach asking people to clean up after their dogs and said he wish he had his camera to take a photo. He wants to put similar notices on the beach in Port Elizabeth as well. I offered to take a photo of it and email it to him.
Our conversation continued and he happened to mention a book I should read on finances, called “The Richest Man in Babylon” and added that he just got the impression that this is something I need to learn. This was indeed another blessing from the Universe, earlier I asked for help and guidance with my finances and here I was receiving it.
Walking back to my apartment I realised that wearing the new trainers was no accident either, I need to know that even when I am glamorous and speaking on stage I always need to keep my feet firmly on the ground. Never think too much of myself to do that which I so easily expect other people to do for me.
So I am humbled and again in awe of how the Universe just delivers when I ask and open myself up to the answers.
I am one with source and it is one with me, I am the master and the servant and in each state there are lessons to be learned.
The beach will see me every day with a plastic bag in my hand – just in the event that I walk pass some rubbish.
Thank you for reading my story and for visiting my website. I look forward sharing more of my lessons with you.
Have a beautiful day.
In love and light
Leila Benelli
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Surf’s Up Dude!
y walk as I do in the morning and noticed a seal in the water. This seal appeared to be swimming around like most seals do, but then I noticed something that gave me so much joy.
He chose his wave and there he went – joyfully enjoying the speed of the wave carrying him forward. He went through it under it and over it then made his return just before reaching the shore.
At first I thought it was just my imagination but after watching him for more than twenty minutes I realised he knew what he was doing. I am sure this is possibly where the art of surfing was born.
ed to observe nature.
