Moments of Clarity

There's a feeling I've gotten from time to time, it's one I search out whenever I can though, it rarely happens, of a moment when it seems you can pull aside the curtain for a moment, and see the inner workings of- well existence. Not that you can actually understand how it works of course, but, there's a moment where you catch a glimpse of the balance... That there is some sort of purpose.

To me, the sea at night is one of the largest draws to me. It doesn't matter my mood, my mindset, or the temperature out, the sea at night gives me a feeling of balance, the ocean in general, and was a large reason behind me choosing to pursue a Marine Biology major in college. (Was going for Marine Bio and Psychology, but that's another story).

If you sit, alone and still, at a beach at night, just being aware of your own breathing, and the sounds of the waves, I find it's the easiest way to sense your part in this great machine of a planet we live on... no matter how small a part you play.

They say Humpback Whales change their songs at the same time based on the tides of the world's oceans acting as percussion for their song. How do they change all at once? The "drummer" shifted to a different beat.

There's something both grounding and liberating sitting by the sea, watching the tide come in, or go out... idly writing your deepest wishes into the sand, letting the water take it away... All the Earth's oceans are connected to each other. Those water molecules that slowly lap away the wish I wrote out in English could be the same ones that ate away at a child's sandcastle in China. It could have originated from the Nile River in Egypt, to empty into the Mediterranean Sea, which, is a part of the Atlantic Ocean, which- laps at my toes quite often.

Alone at the beach at night, I can't help but think of all these different things, and it fills me with a peace and quiets my mind. Next time you're in an area with a beach, I highly recommend walking somewhere quiet by yourself (so long as it's safe to of course!), sitting down, closing your eyes, and just really listening to the water. Don't look at a watch, clear your mind, let the thoughts wander in and out- but focus on the sounds of the waves... and see how you feel. Maybe you'll get a peek behind that curtain for a moment too.