Flow

The ocean brings me peace in a way no other place can – In the waves of the Southern California Pacific Ocean I feel divine generosity and a safe smallness. Salt water and the oxygenated white foam always wash away fatigue and move me towards an awareness of my body that I can't get on land. I am suspended. I am unequal to the power of the sea. And somehow, I am safe. Body surfing and diving under the waves never bore me. No two waves ever strike me as the same. Some defect of character makes me suspicious of ease. Nowhere do I notice this aspect of my personality more completely than when I am in the waves. The mismatch of the ocean shifting it's weight towards me and my puny strength heighten my sense of how small I am in a universe of bigger things. But then, when I yield to the waves – when I align myself with dignity to their power – I surf. You can't flop into the wave You just tumble With a humble but dignified turn in harmony with the energy in the water that started far from shore, you can be a small partner in a very powerful dance.