Something in the Water

My favourite place in the world to be is by the water.

The salt air of the ocean is a dream I rarely have the opportunity to visit.

If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can still recall the waves running over my shoulders in its rhythmic way.

I find peace and calm here, with my toes buried in the fine sand, on a beach that stretches for miles.

Embracing a lone visitor, no way forward, and no cute cottage town behind.

If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can taste the salt that lingers on the rocks by which the waves crash. I can sit with my face to the wind as it hits the rocky shoreline over and over again.

When I open my eyes, the meditation is over and I am faced with a far more vast ocean that is this reality.

There is no beach, just wide open waters and me.

The waves come like giants, relentless in their approach.

The loud cries of the native gulls promise to shatter my resolve as their call pierces my ears. Covering them only summons their persistence.

My eyes water from fear, panic, and anger. All work against me as I swim to escape the murderous waters.

I could be better, I could be stronger, I must be smarter. I think as the ocean surrounds me and threatens to drag me deep into its depths.

I am not a strong swimmer, and my body aches from fighting the storms. The saltwater pours into my mouth as a struggle to catch my breath.

I am faced with two choices. To succumb to the violence, the fear, and the aching of my heart. Or fight.

I fight through each wave, for my four children who need me and look for my strength every day.

I fight for my love, who believes I can do anything and never doubts my strength.

I fight for the hope of one day reaching the shoreline and digging my toes in the warm sands once more.

To meditate. To reflect on the storms overcome.