When we were at the beach on Sunday, I couldn't stop staring out at the huge mass of water that crashing along the shore before me. I think sometimes we take the power of this mighty body of water for granted. I mean, seriously, you see tons of people jumping in the water and splashing around in nothing but a thin, small piece of cloth to protect them without ever stopping to think that the ocean could take them under or carry them out to sea if it wanted to. Compared to the enormity of the ocean, we are tiny. If it wanted to control us and take us away, there'd be nothing we could do to tame it.
In actuality, oceans are scary. They are full of risks and uncertainties. Truthfully, there are times when I find myself wanting to run to the high ground in order to avoid the possibilities of heartbreak and failure that sometimes accompany a swim in the ocean. Yet still, the ocean calls to me, and I realize that there is no permanent place for me on the shore, and so I swim in it. I feel the crash of the waves. When the tide becomes higher, I go deeper.
Why do we leave the safety of the shore and jump in to the crashing waves? Because we know that, while we may hurt and stumble in the vastness of the ocean, there is a beach on the other side, and surely the trip across the enormous sea is worth it. We don't truly find joy and experience the wonder of the ocean by looking at it from a distance; we are left with awe and filled with pleasure by going in to the ocean and diving deep. Can't we approach life in the same manner? By celebrating the difficulties and trials because we know that there's something on the other side that makes it totally worth it? Of course, there is a superior joy in the final destination, but there can also be joy in the journey that we take to get there.
So, again, why do we leave the safety of the shore and jump in to the crashing waves? We do it to feel the rush, to feel the power, to feel alive. Maybe we will sink. Maybe we will swim. Maybe we'll even walk. But how will we know until we try? Life would be meaningless if all we ever did was observe from the shore.
I want to dive in to the ocean. I want to embrace it. I want to take my dreams and passions and make them like the ocean: unable to be tamed.
...in over my head I want to go.
2 comments:
how...poetic. Love ya!
You are most definitely an English major!!! I can't even come up with such descriptive stuff like that...see I can't even think of a better word than descriptive. :) You are amazing!!! Love you!!
Post a Comment