I am a Pisces, and so maybe that’s why I have always loved water. I don’t know, but it is definitely my favorite environment to be near or in. I love swimming in it, floating or diving beneath its surface. But I also love just watching the waves. It calms me like nothing else. I also love the smell of the ocean. What is great about spending time near the ocean is that you can experience it with all your senses. It’s a full on live Mindfulness practice. I did that during this recent vacation.
Bill, Pako (our dog) and I took a trip to the Atlantic coast of northern Spain. While Bill was working in the flat we rented near Llanes, I spent a few hours by the beach. Not a regular sandy holiday sun-basking beach, but a rocky beach. Sitting on jagged rocks some 20 meters above the sea. Watching the waves crash against the cliffs. Splashing up, swirling back and crashing again. Water being flung up into the air. I have a good camera, so I spent time taking photos of the ocean. But I also just breathe. I like just watching, focusing on the movement of the water. It’s never boring to me. And then I might shut my eyes and let my awareness rest on the sound of the rolling waves. At night, that is how I fell asleep. The unusual thing, I guess, for someone who lives in the quiet countryside otherwise, is that the ocean’s waves never completely stop. So the sound is like white noise. It’s soothing and constant. But it never stops. The sun came out during the second week and the ocean became flat.
I think I prefer when the waves are big. However, when the water is almost flat, there is a sensation of never ending wonder as my eyes search over the vast space for anything that might emerge over the clear surface. I studied Marine Biology when I went to university and so you will understand that I have a passion for marine mammals and this is why I am always searching for them.
How do you feel about the ocean? Does it fascinate you like it does me? Be well, sweet friends. Take care of yourself, our planet and those who live on it. Until next time.
