The Ocean

I am sitting in a condo on the beach in Destin, Florida. It is rainy outside, as the outer effects of Hurricane Alex are drifting through the area. It sounds like south Texas and northern Mexico are getting a lot of rain, but not too much damage. The waves coming ashore here are big enough to bring out the surfboards, but there are none. I do see a few kids playing at the waters edge. There is a woman in a bright red, one piece bathing suit. She has a figure like a pear. I'll bet the gentleman with her loves her, but I don't know. They didn't stay long, for the wind is still blowing and the rain comes and goes.

Have you ever wondered where the waves come from? Do they originate just off shore, or have they traveled hundreds of miles across the gulf? I know that tsunami waves can travel across oceans. I guess the little ones I am looking at do to. I have sailed small boats on the big ocean. I know that most of the time the waves on the big blue will carry you up and down, but they do not carry you very far. They look very menacing as you see them coming, there is a gasp as you are carried up, and then exhilaration as you are lowered back down. But then the wave passes, and you are left with your little boat in the middle of the big ocean. What you thought was going to be a big, or frightful, or damaging event, turns out to be just a quick rush that passes without incident.

Life is like the ocean. I am like a sailboat. I live while on the surface, but I will some day go under. Currents will try to determine my direction, but I am usually able to navigate to where I want to go. The harder the wind blows, the faster I can reach my destination. However, the harder the wind blows, the rougher the water and bigger the waves. If I expend little energy and am lax with my sails, I will drift and not make much progress. If I work hard and keep my sails properly trimmed, I can make a lot of headway. Many times big waves will cause me anxiety. Mostly they will just pass harmlessly under my keel. Sometimes storms will come my way. If I am properly prepared and diligently practice my seamanship, I will overcome. However, if I keep sailing, I can expect to someday be shipwrecked. No matter, for I can start again. This time I will be smarter and better prepared. The really good thing is that I know that even when I finally do go under this present ocean, I will instantly be with The Navigator; the One who created the Heavens and the Earth; the One who separated the dry land from the seas.

I believe I will go take a walk on the beach. See ya!