Conceptually, I love the water ... always
have.
The greatest
adventures,
risks, and
triumphs of life
only exist at the
deep end. The
shallow end
requires only
what you already
have. The deep
end requires
everything -
from you and
the universe that
surrounds you.
In my heart, I know that God must have
been thinking of the sea when She made
me because we are powerfully linked.
(For the record, since God is a spirit,
embracing that spirit that is in all of us
by saying She, should not be cause for
concern). Whenever I felt alone during
my college years, the Pacific Ocean was
my sister, my confidante, and my healer.
She wrapped me gently in her arms and
tickled my feet, telling me always to, “Be
careful, little sister, and stay close to the
shore.”
Because, until recently, I didn’t know
how to swim. It was one of those things
I kept telling myself I was going to learn
but never did.
“Before I have children”, I swore in my
20’s. Then when they came, I said, “Be-
fore they’re old enough to take lessons.”
When that failed, I simply adopted the
non-committal mantra of “soon.”
Then something happened. Two years
ago, I was at the beach with my fam-
ily. My son and I were playing in the
water, and he swam out a little too far.
Frightened, he reached for me. “Help
me, Mommy,” he said with a quiver in his
voice.
I reached back, but his hand was just
out of my grasp.
Disgust and anger flooded every corner
of my brain.
Naleighna Kai Literary Cafe Magazine July/August 2017 5