Trial and Error:

Life is trial and error, a temporary journey, that tests the waters of our heart and soul. There are things that cannot and will not change: what makes you you (i.e., your core), what makes you truly unique. These characteristics are to be taken care of, held, cultivated; for they are singular; for they are your makeup – your spine. The adder, the wasp, the foundation on which all we know society, theocracy, love, fear, strife and greed are built, will never change. With each New Year there is and will forever be spring, summer, fall and winter – they (the seasons, and with them flowers and rain in May, sultry days in July, zephyr in October and snow in December) are ever so awake and eager to welcome us, with a precarious smile. This will never change.

Sea and Shore:

You and I – we are not entirely similar. Nor are we entirely disparate. We ebb and flow; for life is like a tidal wave, sweeping us out to sea, where we experience firsthand its majesty, its vastness, its storms, its power, its control – for the sake of perspective – only afterwards to return us to shore – to be at peace. This peacefulness, however, this much-needed, much-desirous tranquility, lasts only pro tem – never was it meant to, never does it, last forever – before we are swept out to sea once, twice, thrice more.

This cyclical process begins at birth and ends at death. Out at sea we do not glean the same perspectives; we may share the same experiences, but these experiences do not evoke from us the same feelings. Yet, we are thrown into the fray. You glean from the sea a glimmer of hope; I glean from the sea a sense of foreboding. You experience out at sea a tempestuous day; I experience out at sea a fair day. You feel full out at sea; I feel empty out at sea. And so our experiences carry on ad infinitum.

But the sea, though it is a battle, does not rage against us; it rages with us – the surface of the sea draws out our fears and our struggles within, and reflects them upon us, without remorse, without censorship; we thus deal with our inward battles honestly, knowing repercussions will face us if we do not face our inward battles directly (and with avidity).

Our experiences out at sea are what shape us. When the tidal wave returns us to shore we share our perspectives and experiences with loved ones, in the hopes we leave a lasting impression on them – one person is sufficient, however – before we are again swept out to sea, where, with a luminous beam, the rising sun meets us.

Reach New Heights:

Every second, every minute, every day, we drift closer to our demise. Because we are unique, because we are beautiful, because we are us, we are loved – because we love ourselves. And, for this reason, we love in return and transcend hate; we transcend death. May the sea hold us in its grip, only so that we do not lose our grip on what we deem important. I hear too many people ask, “What does life have in store for me?” I prefer to hear people ask, “What do I have in store for life?”

Whispering in your ear I say, “You are the change you seek.” On this day of days start reaching new heights. This (i.e. what you know, your life form) is not the end; see to it that it is not the end; for it is the beginning of a new thought, a new motivation, a new day, a few more breaths, a few more lives to positively impact. More lies ahead in both the waking and sleeping hours of your precious life. Get to know yourself and life (as you know it); and be the light of visceral meaning for the down and dejected.

It is truly remarkable that though, tragedies befall us (as a species), we continue to strive for positive change and reach new heights.

We want peace. We are out at sea.