My dad has always told me that in life you have to keep things in perspective. Cruising along on a boat on a vast sea is a great way to see that one is but a mere drop on this earth. When you can see majestic mountains, ancient towns, beach vacationers, huge variety of ships, natural marine life, and endless sea all in one panorama, you can succeed in feeling quite small. It also makes you wonder about the life stories of all the thousands of lives that are crossing yours at that moment in time.
Another analogy that has struck me is simply that of the sea and how it can reflect life itself. After a fairly rolling night of attempted sleep, we’re grateful for the calm, flat sea for our journey today. I’ve tried to capture the various states of the sea via photography, but that’s hard. You can have a sea that is calm flat (ideally), or slight (with a little bit of a swell) or choppy (when strong enough winds push up the swell) or confused (when forces are coming from multiple directions causing the swell to do the same) or really rough (when waves are crashing over your boat and reaching all the way up to the helm). Given the week’s news events, we also can’t leave out the rare, unexpected dangerous state caused by storms and freak events. (There are more technical considerations – wave height, wave period, etc – that officially define sea states, but I think my descriptions work for the purposes of this musing.)
In life, I think we all wish for the calm, flat sea in that we want things to be well. Sometimes, though, we experience slight bumps, or choppy challenges, or more confusing dilemmas or decisions. At times, we will even have to endure those largest waves put in our path that might wreck us physically or emotionally or both. I think the positive perspective is that each state is a phase that ‘too shall pass.’ There will be calm, flat seas to return to amidst whatever discomforts or challenges may arise.
I always get a bit philosophical when riding on my favorite bow seat. Sadly, I haven’t done that enough this season! I can say though, if you need a new perspective (or even if you don’t), get out on a boat!
Sailing Sabática 
What a wonderful composition of your thoughts. All life , in my understanding, originated from the sea. Our blood plasma, as I learned, is the same chemical composition as sea water. So, in effect we are like the sea in your analogy. There is no wonder in my mind how spending three summers sailing the seas that your inquisitive mind has come to such an understanding. Maybe you could seek a fourth line of study, this time philosophy….
All my love,
Dad
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Beautiful reflection of “life” and I thank you for sharing your thoughts. The vastness of the ocean definitely puts those “little things” in perspective as your father taught you to do.
We all know people who have had more than their share of upheaval as they maneuver through life and we watch them overcome time and time again. We are all more resilient than we think we are and only when life tests us do we know that’s true.
May you keep that perspective forever.
Love, Mom
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