The ocean

This #thankyouthursday, I am grateful for the ocean.

Yesterday I had the privilege of waking up to an ocean view, and then a couple of hours later, I was able to wade past the breaking waves and immerse myself in cold, salty water.

It’s been at least a year since I set foot in the Atlantic, probably more like two or three, but reuniting yesterday felt instantly like home to me.

And to think I wasn’t even going to get in!

I was standing at the shoreline with my partner and my son, and because the baby wasn’t showing much interest in the water (in fact, he was actively the opposite of interested), I’d resigned myself to staying dry. But my partner knows me well, and he encouraged me to hand off our kid and everything else I was carrying that couldn’t get wet, and although at first I rebuffed his encouragement, soon enough something clicked, and I realized of course I should go for it.

So off I went, into the ocean. And it. was. wonderful.

I love the ocean’s magnificence, how it underscores my relative insignificance. The water seems friendly enough, but I know it can be dangerous, too.

I’m grateful for my reverence of the ocean, for the chance to reconnect with a force of nature that, like so much, I cannot control. And I’m grateful my partner nudged me to experience yesterday’s “moment of Zen.”

Because there were other people around, but I still felt alone, just me and the wide expanse of delightfully chilling water, supporting me, welcoming me home.

Love > fear,
Christina