Passing Ship

I perceive life as a sea and I as a ship sailing through both charted and uncharted waters. When it comes to passing ships, I have a few I will never forget, several I wish to lock away in a chest and lose in the sea, many that I would probably not recognize if I happened to encounter again but one that has grown on me. One small ship that has become something inked in my heart and soul.

I encountered it roughly two years ago. I was in high school, seated in a physics class, barely listening to what the teacher had to say on a topic I believe was something related to reflection. Physics was neither my favorite nor strongest subject, so I was almost always engrossed in deep thoughts, completely ignoring everything. This day was no different. My mind wandered into a different world that may have involved me, swords and gymnastic skills I barely possess in the real world. I was halfway into the epic plot when I got stuck and now began floating in a region between reality and emptiness. I called it writer's block at that moment, but now it seems like fate or a much-needed coincidence. The only thing that would now keep me from looking like a lifeless human was to pay attention in class, and so with much difficulty, I did.

Passively the teacher said, "'Darkness, or rather black is lack of color.'' Afraid that I would forget, I scribbled it down for revision purposes. It was doubtful they would test that in an examination, but I wrote it down anyway. It just felt...right.

Days later, I casually flipped through my book when I stumbled upon the note. I only had to read it once to dive into a pit of thought and reasoning. The overthinking began!

I came up with a ' theory' based on absolutely no scientific research or reference.

It dawned on me that a black T-shirt could match any color. Based on that, I continued thinking. Maybe black t-shirts go so well with any color because they can adapt to the nature of anything placed close to it, letting it shine without overshadowing it. The fact that it is void of color makes it nothing more than to enhance a color married with it loyally.

Of course, I knew it was doubtful that my theory was scientifically correct, but metaphorically, it made more sense than anything else.

Look at it this way, the problems in our life are the darkness, the black t-shirts, those dark moments that have us on the floor crying and wishing they never happened, the insecurities, and our weaknesses. The light and the bright colored garments are our good moments and best parts.

A black t-shirt and a pink skirt make more sense than a red t-shirt and a pink skirt, so why would something perfect not make more sense paired with something imperfect?

That question floated in my mind for hours. I tried to oppose it, thinking it was not very smart. ''A white T-shirt works, too," I said to myself. The debate continued, and another idea came up what if the white t-shirts were the good moments that warmed our hearts and put smiles on our faces?

What if some days it's the white T-shirt and some days it's the black one? All of it just clicked, and I felt like a freaking genius at the moment! The more I revisited the thoughts, the more I listened to what I was saying to myself.

I had no idea I needed to hear these words, but now that I had, I was slowly slipping into a state of unmeasurable stability and understanding. I did not need to see everything so negatively. I needed those black T-shirts for my very luminous green spirit!

I needed those white T-shirts too. Both were necessities I had never strived to understand and truly accept.

The thought stuck, and to the day, it still sails with me. Whenever I face a dark moonless night or a wild, relentless storm, all I see is the darkness that complements my light, not the darkness that consumes it. I do not sail away from dark or hind under my sheets. I sail into it, knowing that all I'll see is exactly how beautiful, strong, and perfect the best parts of me are. When the sun rises and the winds favor my sails, I smile and rock the white t-shirt like a goddess! I look good in both black and white!

The thought is twisted and comprehensive, but it makes sense to me; honestly, that is all that truly matters. It gets me through a lot, and will contact me for more rows.

To find a passing ship that impacts so little yet so much is one thing, but to find a passing ship in word form as a person who embraces literature is the best thing. This is my passing ship.