Sometimes, while we're swimming through life, against the currents, or with it, we're washed ashore. Sometimes, violently, on account of a high tide that comes out of nowhere and crashes into the sand; sometimes, almost gently, like one of those old slippers separated from its pair.
Instead of leaving you grovelling in the unfamiliar sand, alone, I want to help you feel the beauty of the beach, and know that sometimes, being washed ashore needn't be the worst thing.
So, get your face out of the sand. Turn around, and face the ocean. Feel the little grains of sand fall through the gaps in your fingers. You're so big and small at the same time. You could be as little as a shell to the sea, or a star to the night sky, but that shell is home to something and that star shines bright. Watch the dance of the endless sea that mirrors the endless sky, and partake in the finite-infinity of nature.
Just as it all seems so vast, so immensely expansive, if you look beyond, you'll see the horizon – that glimmer of hope where those limitless bodies reach some limit in your eyes. Suddenly, you're not lost. There's another side that you can reach.
And if you're there before dawn, you'll be lucky enough to watch the black night break into colour as the sea plays catch with sky, throwing up a large orange ball that splits into brilliant hues of pink, red and purple that disappear into the blue sky as the day passes, leaving only sun rays that glimmer on the waves. If you can make it, travel to the west coast and watch the sky respond, throwing back the ball that sinks to the depths of the ocean, so the sky can open its arms to the moon.
The sea always understands, it seems. So, sit, and listen to the waves' rhythm match your mood. When you're angry, you'll hear the waves crash against the shore, resonating your fury, with everything they've got. And if you're so mad that you could scream, scream at the sea for silently it will listen and take away to its depths, your madness (I would know, I've done it). But if you stop for a second and breathe; if you're calm, you'll hear them gently kiss the sand, so softly, you can almost hear your steady heartbeat.
If you're neither angry, nor calm, happy or sad, if you're just feeling empty and hollow; let the sound of the sea fill you and become a part of you, as it has with the conch, which you'll know if you've ever put one to your ear.
Run along the shore, barefoot, with the wind in your hair and experience a sense of freedom that you haven't before. When you're tired and panting, let the sea wash off the sand from your feet and the ache in your bones and heart. Take some of that saline water and build castles in the sand and decorate them with pretty seashells; knowing that no matter how much you take from the sea, it will remain boundless.
The sea has never failed to amaze, intrigue and fascinate me; to calm me and excite me; and leave me, feeling infinite. I've grown up near the beach, and although there's garbage in the sand and slums on the shore and I didn't spend enough time there as I could've or should've, the sea always sticks to me like the grains of sand you can never seem to get rid of after a visit to the beach. If you're washed ashore for any reason, take some time off and spend it near the sea, taking in all that it encompasses. Let it become a part of you as you will to it.
Close your eyes now. Can you smell that ocean breeze?
Instead of leaving you grovelling in the unfamiliar sand, alone, I want to help you feel the beauty of the beach, and know that sometimes, being washed ashore needn't be the worst thing.
So, get your face out of the sand. Turn around, and face the ocean. Feel the little grains of sand fall through the gaps in your fingers. You're so big and small at the same time. You could be as little as a shell to the sea, or a star to the night sky, but that shell is home to something and that star shines bright. Watch the dance of the endless sea that mirrors the endless sky, and partake in the finite-infinity of nature.
Just as it all seems so vast, so immensely expansive, if you look beyond, you'll see the horizon – that glimmer of hope where those limitless bodies reach some limit in your eyes. Suddenly, you're not lost. There's another side that you can reach.
And if you're there before dawn, you'll be lucky enough to watch the black night break into colour as the sea plays catch with sky, throwing up a large orange ball that splits into brilliant hues of pink, red and purple that disappear into the blue sky as the day passes, leaving only sun rays that glimmer on the waves. If you can make it, travel to the west coast and watch the sky respond, throwing back the ball that sinks to the depths of the ocean, so the sky can open its arms to the moon.
The sea always understands, it seems. So, sit, and listen to the waves' rhythm match your mood. When you're angry, you'll hear the waves crash against the shore, resonating your fury, with everything they've got. And if you're so mad that you could scream, scream at the sea for silently it will listen and take away to its depths, your madness (I would know, I've done it). But if you stop for a second and breathe; if you're calm, you'll hear them gently kiss the sand, so softly, you can almost hear your steady heartbeat.
If you're neither angry, nor calm, happy or sad, if you're just feeling empty and hollow; let the sound of the sea fill you and become a part of you, as it has with the conch, which you'll know if you've ever put one to your ear.
Run along the shore, barefoot, with the wind in your hair and experience a sense of freedom that you haven't before. When you're tired and panting, let the sea wash off the sand from your feet and the ache in your bones and heart. Take some of that saline water and build castles in the sand and decorate them with pretty seashells; knowing that no matter how much you take from the sea, it will remain boundless.
The sea has never failed to amaze, intrigue and fascinate me; to calm me and excite me; and leave me, feeling infinite. I've grown up near the beach, and although there's garbage in the sand and slums on the shore and I didn't spend enough time there as I could've or should've, the sea always sticks to me like the grains of sand you can never seem to get rid of after a visit to the beach. If you're washed ashore for any reason, take some time off and spend it near the sea, taking in all that it encompasses. Let it become a part of you as you will to it.
Close your eyes now. Can you smell that ocean breeze?
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| Sun rays that glimmer on the waves as the waves gently kiss the sand Picture Credits - Ankura Nayak |
"...If you're neither angry, nor calm, happy or sad, if you're just feeling empty and hollow; let the sound of the sea fill you and become a part of you, as it has with the conch, which you'll know if you've ever put one to your ear."
ReplyDelete^ :")
Karunya, you're such a beautiful writer. :")
Thank you, Ankura. For the picture and for reading. I'm glad it touched you somewhere :]
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