March 16, 2022
Have you ever heard that
expression, “life is a beach”? It can be used for positive, inspirational
messages, but also for somewhat negative ones. “Life’s a beach” can imply the
last word as a substitute for another word that also begins with the letter b.
If you google the expression, you’ll find a plethora of memes illustrating both
of the concepts of inspiration and frustration.
I’ve been letting my mind wander
a fair bit over the last few days—an exercise, by the way, that is never
without risk, especially lately. And one of the things I was thinking of was
that there is an ebb and flow to life, to human society, and if one were to
take the time to sit and consider that ebb and flow, one might very well end up
sitting on a beach—whether one that’s metaphorical or literal, doesn’t really
matter.
An ocean, or if you prefer, a
lake, can be a calm and soothing presence. I’m never so rejuvenated after a
vacation as I am if I’ve spent that time on or near the water. Whether lake or
sea, the moon and the wind combine in varying degrees to encourage the lapping
of waves, and the rhythm can be very soothing. It can engender a sense of rest
and relaxation, and a natural peace that recharges one’s emotional, mental and
physical “batteries.”
This is one of the more
pleasant aspects of life, these moments of “Zen”.
I have a “noise machine” which
I bought after our last cruise. During that cruise, which was on a ship that
had us in a cabin with a private balcony, we slept with the glass balcony door
slightly ajar. The sound of the ship cutting through the water, the soft slap of
waves on the steel hull, and the fresh sea air became the rhythm of peace and
lulled us both into a deep restful sleep each night.
When the machine arrived, we
set it on “surf” and ah, that was just like being on vacation again. Since
then, we alternate between surf and thunderstorm. It doesn’t play very loudly, but
a few years ago when we had a friend stay over night, sleeping on a portable
bed in our living room—well, she awoke and was convinced she would be driving
her motorcycle through a storm that morning as she headed home.
It had never occurred to me to
warn her that we had a noise machine that she would be able to hear, because by
then it was simply a part of our bedtime routine.
So yes, I celebrate times
spent by the water, on the water, and the peace and pure air that can
oftentimes accompany that venue, whether experienced inland or at sea.
However, there are also times
when the oceans, or the lakes, for that matter, can be quite turbulent. When
the waves, rather than being measured, and soft, and appealing to both the heart
and the soul, come hard and fast, whipped by the ferocity of the wind into a
storm from hell, one frothy, angry wave crashing into the one before it with
the next piling on right after, faster and harder until you are so overwhelmed,
so filled with tension, with fear, with utter exhaustion that you just want it
to stop. You pray for calm.
The two extremes, when you
think about it, truly represent life.
Over the last three years, the
world has been dealing with political-slash-moral storms of upheaval in our societies,
as well as in our seats of governments. We’ve been dealing with a deadly
pandemic that some soulless folks have coopted as a tool that they’ve fashioned
into a weapon for personal gain. And now, on top of those two spirit-stripping
circumstances, those two humungous storm-tossed waves, a war now rages in
Europe—one brought on by a single, not-quite-sane malignant narcissist. A war that
could very well escalate into the next world war—or a reasonable facsimile thereof.
There can be no justification
for the slaughter of innocent civilians. This is not so much a war as it is a
mass murder spree committed by the worst psychopath ever born.
Those of us who are not
directly, physically involved in these raging traumas are still affected deeply
by them. If we have beating hearts, if we have compassion, and if we have a conscience—in
short, if we are human, then we are being bombarded by these monster
waves of contemporary life, one on top of the other followed by the next.
And more and more, many of us
are reaching the ends of our ropes—we just want it all to stop.
Love,
Morgan
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
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