Restless Waves

Restless Waves

I am forever searching for small blocks of time in which I can find emotional ease. In the middle of the excitement of living, short intervals of mental neutrality seem to help the healing of the bruises of stress.

Some time ago, thinking that I could find some rest and relaxation, I visited a southern beach on the Atlantic Ocean. To my disappointment, I found no respite by that restless sea. The wind would not subside, white caped waves repeatedly unrolled their substance onto the dingy sand, winged gulls never halted their frenzied flight, and quiet would not be found. I could not feel the calm that some say they find near a seashore.

Recently, I stopped for a while by a small inland lake. Except for the ripples from the unhurried motion of geese, it looked as still as a sheet of glass. When my rest was over, I felt a sense of inner peace. The quiet calm had cleared my mind: I felt better about myself, and the past and future looked brighter than before.

As realities and possibilities passed through my thoughts, I began to appreciate those people whose positive and unruffled presence has many times given me cause to feel less desperate about the pains of survival and cause to feel more optimistic about life's potential. I also thought about those people who tire my very soul with their much to-do about the trivial.