Ebbing and flowing.

    The sea came to me today. I love how the ocean does its thing- it stays just where it is but it also does not, ebbing and flowing upon the sand in a fashion that is consistent, yet so capricious, at the same time. It makes a calming, soothing noise, seemingly harmless in its tone yet alluring like a Siren's call to a weary sailor like me (except I am a sailor of the high seas of life, not the Atlantic).

    

    The ocean was calling, and so I answered, kicking my shoes off in the car and stepping barefoot into nature, the way God must have intended for us to experience His creation, for were not Adam and Eve unshod? I left the deep gray skies of the seaside town behind, turning my back upon the weather-beaten cottages and corner shops to embrace the neverending blues of sky and surf.

    The wind battered my face and hair and clothes with a wildly intriguing harshness. Already considered a small person by physical standards, I felt infinitely more minuscule as I stood against this turbulent breeze amid the howling storm. But I stood my petite, five-foot-three ground, tipping my toes into the coming waves and soaking up the beauty of the world that no camera filter could have rectified.

    

 And as I stood firmly planted on that beach I realized: oceans are symbolic of life, its ups and  downs and all of its in between happenings in general. The sea is constant, always there but everchanging, as full of light and depth and mystery as a handsome stranger. The ocean is life- sometimes habitual, sometimes unpredictable, but always there, repeating itself in cyclic fashion, over and over and over again.

    The rain began to fall in big, fat raindrops, rippling into the tide but never deterring its purpose. And I had a minor epiphany: even the sea gets rained on. In all its majesty and playful dauntlessness, even the sea has storms. And the sea stands its ground. It does not cripple under the pressure of the falling skies above; it keeps doing its thing. It gets a bit bigger. It gets a bit rougher. But ultimately it thrives, even when the hurricane comes and leaves destruction in its path.

   And, if the ocean can do it, why can't I?

    --Laura :)