Rest and Resurface
Life is relentless
“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying looking at the surface of the ocean itself, except that when you finally see what goes on underwater, you realize that you’ve been missing the whole point of the ocean. Staying on the surface all the time is like going to the circus and staring at the outside of the tent.” — Dave Barry
I was at the same beach I always go to, doing the same things I have always done. I read, I went for a walk, and I waded into the water. I don’t write at the beach. I do think about writing, though, because I am always thinking about writing.
I looked out to the waves, and for the first time in a long time, I saw a pod of dolphins.
Where Dolphins Swim
It has been a summer of dolphin sightings. Where dolphins swim, there are never sharks, or so the old wives' tale goes. There has been a spike of sharks, though. There have been dozens of reports in what has been only a few weeks of summer.
I had a hard time picking out the dolphins, which made me wonder how we know if there are sharks in the water. It is better not to know some things. Ignorance, after all, is bliss.
Of course, just because we don’t see something, it doesn’t mean that it’s not there.
Just Keep Swimming
I used to think that the ocean was relentless. Each time the tide rushes out, it crashes back, rougher than before. Do people actually believe that water is peaceful? Everyone loves the beach. It is a cliché at this point, something banal. It is a contradiction though. The ocean is a monstrosity.
When I go in the water now, a part of me is reluctant to go in all the way. I have to remind myself that waves look worse from the top. The ocean is what it is. Ocean life, on the other hand, is relentless. It has to be. How do you keep swimming with sharks?
How do you keep swimming, when the tide is always pulling you under?
Happy as a Clam
The best way out of a wave is through.
I didn’t see sharks, but I did see clams. Everywhere I looked, sinking into the sand with each step I took, they were there, retreating into the sand. For every time the tide went out, they were just as ready to dig themselves back under.
Don’t just keep swimming. Rest, and resurface later. Life is relentless. We all know that. Life is relentless, but if you are a writer, you are too.
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