Sand & Sea

“Attention is the beginning of devotion.” —Mary Oliver, Upstream: Selected Essays

Inching out the back through the impact zone this week, I recognized that I have been in this zone countless times throughout my life, and always—ALWAYS—get through it. Life was never meant to be a straight line, no matter what anybody says. Only always it is three steps forward and a big push back; or circling the same territory until you remember—oh yeah! maybe I don’t have to do this again. 

The trick for me is to behold my actions—the ups, the downs, the all arounds—with compassion. Here is the impact zone again, what shall I do this time? Maybe I dive deep under waves like I did as a kid, sometimes touching bottom. Then burst up on the other side in time for another wave, then another, and sometimes a tumble. Until finally, after stroking hard, I pop up in a calmer stretch of ocean, the waves behind me. 

And float.

Bookshelf:
Romy & Julio
Diary of a Reluctant Traveler: 15 months on the road from coast to coast to coast—solo
Sea Change: stories & splashes
Shoulds are for Saints: the true life adventures of Suzy Le Speed
Dance First …ask questions later: poems & paintings