This is a very special photo for me. It was taken last July at Horseshoe Bay.

That Saturday began quietly. It was one of those rare, gloomy, summer days in Bermuda. The entire sky was covered with a low, grey curtain. The sun was hidden deep in the clouds. Small drops of rain began to drizzle. All our plans to spend the day at the beach fell apart.

For our small family, summer weekends are all about the ocean. This is a favourite and special world for us. Our daughter, Ava, expertly rides her boogie board, cruising boldly through the crashing surf. On calm days, Bill and I snorkel far out to the breaking reefs and admire the underwater world. We swim through the rays of the sun, shimmering through the turquoise water. Sometimes we are joined by fierce and silvery barracuda, or industrious schools of green parrot fish. Always, there is the endless purity of blue water as our horizon.

We looked out the window in misery and read the weather forecast. It was supposed to rain all day. So, instead of jumping into the ocean, we habitually and smoothly plunged into the virtual world. There was no need to fight with waves and swallow salt water, struggle in the current, or be thrown to the sand by strong surf. In this reality, jellyfish do not sting and rip tides never carry you away.

It was a comfortable, cosy and predictable world. The picture before our eyes changed with lightning speed. Everything was already decided by Facebook for us — what news to read and what advertising to see. We just needed to push the button.

“That’s enough! We will not spend the whole day in aimless mediocrity!” my husband exclaimed. “We will go to the beach, as planned! Forget the bad weather!” Ava and I exchanged glances, sighed, and pulled on our rain jackets. We drove to a deserted beach.

Then, as if by the wave of a magic wand, our dull mood disappeared. Bill went to climb a coral overlook, and Ava and I began building a grand sandcastle with towers and a moat. Then Ava came up with a funny game … one of us makes a fruit or vegetable out of sand, and the other person has to guess what it is. We laughed a lot because our vegetables and fruits looked so ridiculous, far from what we had in mind.

At one moment, we raised our heads and looked at the bay. While we were playing, we did not even notice that the weather had steadily improved. Blue sky appeared through swirling rents in the clouds. Then we observed something special I will never forget. On the very edge of the boundless, translucent, strikingly turquoise water were beautiful horses. Elegantly dressed riders were guiding them slowly and gracefully through the gently lapping waves.

It was such a beautiful, solemn, majestically delightful picture.

At that moment, it came to me clearly that we could have not seen this if we had chosen to stay at home, surfing the internet and complaining about the bad weather.

I understood that we can easily change our experience of the world, and not via virtual reality.

It is within our power and ability to do this anytime. We do not have to escape into fantasy to improve our mood. It is all up to us.

The most beautiful experiences we could have often cost no money and are in our immediate surroundings. Just get out of the house.

Take a walk on the Railway Trail. Find a special spot for the sunset. Watch the moon rise out of the silver sea.

If you do nothing, nothing happens. If you leave your shell, beauty will find you.

•Nina London is a certified wellness and weight-management coach. Her mission is to support and inspire mature women to make positive changes in their body and mind

Share your inspirational stories with her here: www.ninalondon.com