the sea of life

"I have been building a raft without realizing it.

My dad carried the heavy pieces

while my mom handed me the tools.

On one sunny day, I announced to them

I am going on a journey

my destination circled in red on a map: me.

They give me an orange life vest and I set sail.

I find myself surrounded by water on all sides

deciding which way to navigate towards.

A storm is forming deep in the horizon,

a section in the sky my binoculars have decided to deny

where monsters lie underneath the dark blue waters.

My paddle feels heavier and my body tires

the more I try to keep the sea flat and the sky blue.

The storm finds me sleeping during a dreamless night

and the biggest of waves pushes me into the sea

which has now turned gray and turbulent

taking over all my senses.

Now floating in a sea of uncertainty,

something pulls me from the unknown below.

I have to let go of that orange life vest.

Knowing I will swallow salt water.

I remind myself I have my raft and am sea-skilled, while I take its hand.

And discover that what lies below those scary dark blue waters is not so scary after all.

It is helping me swim.

It helps me paddle on nights when I see the northern star clearly in the sky

and it helps me keep afloat on those moon-less dark nights that bring strong tides

whether the waves reflect flickering light

or they seem sky high

in the ever-moving sea of life."

Afterthoughts

Treat your emotions like waves. Let them come and let them go. Don't try to stop them from coming and don't try to hold on to them. Neither work. Greet them at the door. Some days, the waves will be close together and strong. Some other days, the waves will be really far apart and small. Allow them to rise, acknowledge them and let them fall. Accept them as they are. They are just emotions. As Jon Kabat Zin said, you can't stop the waves but you can learn how to surf. And yes, what pulled me from below those unknown dark blue waters during a turbulent night was a colorful monster named Em(otions).