Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Spaced Out

I love the ocean.

I love its vastness, its strength and its allure. It made living in
Sri Lanka a great pleasure for me. Especially, in times of loneliness.

The cool evening beach sand is perfect to calm your soul. The rhythmic sounds of waves unbeknownst to you normalise your breathing. The soothing breeze evens your temper, relaxes your mind. The slant rays of the setting sun colour your world with optimistic hues, though only briefly.

I had always believed that the sea really has the power to make you see your problems from a different perspective, and thus, make you find a solution. So I used to spend my evenings at the beach, every chance I got.

All had gone swimmingly well for so many years. Until just the other day. I was speaking to the resplendent,
frequently-blinking friend of mine I had mentioned earlier, about my love for the ocean. She said something very thought-provoking. "The sea, or for that matter the mountains or the earth itself, does not solve your problems. It expands your soul. Its enormity makes you think of yourself as quite insignificant, and your problems even more so."

She couldn’t have been more right. Here’s why:












(First published on Bhéjaa Fry. Read comments by readers here.)