Do you feel the power of the big water like the Great Lakes and the Ocean as a stronger pull than the Gulf of Mexico or a large inland lake or waterway? What about a river compared to a creek or canal? As sailors and water babies we are happy any time we connect with the water. That said, the energy and power I feel from the body of water, when I stand on the beach at the ocean or on Lake Michigan, is far greater than when I stand along the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico. I am curious how others find it to be? After giving this quite a bit of thought, I think it has a lot to do with the depth of the water more than the size of the body of water. Feel free to share comments here or on our social media under the post for my brief visit to the Atlantic Ocean, that I will be sharing shortly. No music added just ocean music as the waves come in to the shore. View our Instagram reel and follow us on Instagram – click here.
Creeks and streams have their own kind of energy; more like the sound of chimes instead of the drums you might imagine as the waves crash on the beach at the ocean. Now rivers…that depends on how fast they are moving and how wide they are, more than how deep they are. Rivers change based on how many bends they have, how much white water, boulders, log jams, rocks and trees.. so may things. To me rivers feel very grounded perhaps due to the magnetic quality of the earth as they wind their path through valleys and other terrain. I like to imagine the water in the rivers and tributaries flowing out to the ocean and connecting. That is a landsmen story and observation however. Today we are talking about standing before the Atlantic Ocean. If you just want to see the photo gallery of the ocean pics taken during my visit…keep scrolling down.
We have out boat in the Gulf Waters and Inter Coastal Waterways of Southwest Florida (SWFL) with home base currently Fort Myers Beach. The sunsets are glorious on the Gulf and while the water is beautiful, there is just something about walking along the ocean! The hard pack layers of sand, the sea air is different, the shoreline slopes off and the pull of the ocean and the sound is greater as the waves rush in.
I visited the West Palm Beach area in September by Car. I went there to take my American Council on Exercise Health Coach Exam. No visit there would have been complete without stopping to look at the ocean and take in the sites, sounds and smells, if only for the short time I had left in my day.
I recently saw a Peanuts comic post, come up from a Facebook Page called BewilderBugs, featuring Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Charlie said, “We only live once Snoopy.” Snoopy responded, “No, we only die once, we live everyday.” I had not been to the ocean in three years. When I arrived it was pouring rain. I almost drive way and gave up. To me that would be like driving to the Grand Canyon and not going to look out across it. I waited, found a municipal beach parking lot and a policeman to give me permission to to park for even just 5 minutes! The rain slowed down, the sky was gray but big, the clouds found a way to let the sun start to peek through and I found a half an hour to enjoy the view, walking with my toes in the sand. I got my skirt wet and thought I might freeze in the air conditioning later while taking my exam! I did not care and seized the moments.
The ocean is still calling me. I must go back….and next time I need to plan better; while it was a joyous half hour, imagine how amazing one could feel after a morning with the ocean, a day? We live everyday, yes…how many hours of that day do we spend in the moment? How much is enough when each day we live could be our last day?
“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach — waiting for a gift from the sea.” — Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift From the Sea.
This link leads to the pocket book Wisdom from Gift From the Sea. Pearl’s of wisdom taken from Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s novel A Gift From the Sea -50th Anniversary Issue!
What I liked about her novel, when I read the 20th Anniversary Issue, is that it spoke to everywomen. We wear so many hats, mother, daughter, sister, wife, friend… In recent years the women’s movement has progressed but this is still a timeless classic. As an Amazon Affiliate, a small percentage of these books and of anything you buy on amazon in the next 24 hours is shared with us to support the writing of this blog. Thank you! — Sheree