Sailing Life's Ocean

I was gazing at the picture hanging above my fireplace yesterday afternoon--a beautiful photo of a quiet, serene beach. White sand, calm blue waters, with a storm building in the distant sky. I got to thinking just how much our life can be like the ocean, and how our perceptions of that shape our experience of life. The ocean is in constant flux, much like life. Sometimes it's calm and serene. Sometimes it's incredibly rocky and choppy. Sometimes the waves are gentle and soothing.

This is how life comes at us, yes? Sometimes full-force and we feel like we have to hold on for dear life. Sometimes it's calm and smooth and we sigh and relax into those periods of tranquility. But it's not so much how the waters of life are that affect us. Rather, it's about our attachment to how it should be, and our resistance to what is that shapes our reality. We so desperately want the waters to remain calm. We get scared, frustrated and angry when they are not.

Everything in life is energy. All experience, all thought, all emotion--it's all energy. When we allow those energies to flow through us, like lying on the beach and letting the incoming waves gently flow over us, without resistance, life becomes less of a struggle. Imagine lying on the beach right where the surf comes in and trying to prevent the water from the incoming waves from flowing over you. First of all it's impossible! Second, such an attempt is going to result in stressful feelings of frustration and anger. You can't walk along the shore and prevent the waves from lapping your feet.

I have begun to see life kind of like the constantly flowing waters of the ocean. It's coming at us, nothing we can do about that. We can't hold our arms out in front of us and say "stop!" and the waves will retreat. The experiences we have are far less traumatic and stressful when we graciously allow them to flow into our lives, deal with them as best as we can, and then allow them to flow out. Attachment to a need for the waters to stay calm is a set up for angst. Trying to resist what is happening is a struggle that we can't win.

Learning to accept 'what is' in the present moment, without getting too attached to it and without judging it, is liberation. This is how we stay centered. When we are centered we can be in the middle of the stormy seas and not feel like we are being knocked around too much. We remain strong, balanced, whole. When a difficult situation arises, know that it is like a wave--it will quickly recede and be gone. When we stew, dwell, and marinate in these situations we can perpetuate them and cause them to linger longer than is necessary. Learn to let go. Learn to let the waters flow over you, knowing that they will recede back into the vast ethers of energy that is the Universe.

All is well. You can maintain your calm center, regardless of what is going on around you. It is simply a matter of how you choose to perceive life. When you resist it, it is difficult. When you allow, it flows. So love yourself enough to simply allow life's experiences to flow over you, dealing with them the best way that you know how, and then let them go. Holding onto self-criticism, self-judgment or guilt taints the inner waters of your soul. If you feel self-criticism come up, treat it like a wave--let it roll over you, not attaching to it, not giving it truth--and then let it fade away.

I choose to believe that I am magnificent, beautiful, and worthy. There are some days where the storm clouds are brewing, and the waters get awful choppy and my boat of self-love is tempted to capsize. But I am the one steering the boat. I have control over it. So I do not allow the storm to push me into those self limiting beliefs of not being good enough. Except when I do. And that happens too. I think as long as we are in a human body it's going to happen from time to time. What's important is to notice that and lovingly guide ourselves back to the awareness of our magnificence.

Life is a journey and you're steering the boat. Roll with the waters--you're not going to be able to control them. Love yourself and enjoy the ride.

~Happy Sailing!