it was a quarter past 6, and dinner just ended. the boys and i slipped out the building to breathe in some fresh air. all around us were trees and fields that stretched out until our eyes could see. we walked along an uphill path with no particular destination in mind. i looked back, and i could see the gothic facades getting smaller and smaller. at the top of the hill, we could see everything and nothing. we sat on the grass, passed some cigarettes, and looked at the horizon. as moments passed, the colors of the sky got closer to a warm tone resembling a persimmon’s skin. we sat there quietly watching the sun set into the line of trees. i remember this memory vividly. in that moment, i took a deep breath and wished that our time there could last forever.
Water, in all its forms, speaks to me in different ways,
in ways that words will never be able to give justice to. It ignites something in me that I thought was long gone. It pulls my entire being back to where it has to be. And for some apparent reason, though I am floating in the middle of the ocean or moving against its current, in those moments, I have never felt more grounded.
The water always feels right.
Soft rain— when I barely feel it touching my skin and all that it is is a soft touch that resembles a tickle, a gentle reminder of something sweet and good. Thunderstorms— when strong wind, a heavy pour, and continuous loud thunder partner, this is when my heart beats faster and faster, my eyes widen, and suddenly I find myself more aware of my surroundings. Waves off the shore— when the remnants of something that was once so strong is brought right before me. Waves breaking— when I find myself battling out at sea to stay up, only to be washed out, but in the end, I rise back up and feel that full breath of air in my chest.
The ocean has a lot to say, and so does the rain. The ocean is gentle in the way it settles, allowing me to close my eyes and take it all in. And just when I’ve taken that breath, it riles me back up and urges me to keep moving. The water is a reminder that I am alive, that I am both strong and weak, and that I have it in me to rise and beat the odds.
So when the waves or the raindrops finally speak to you, I hope that in that moment, your mind is at peace, and your heart is in the right place. Just enough for you to accept what it has to say, to breathe it in and live in it.