I see you there, surveying my terrain—so close and yet, so far away.

You dance just out of reach, then along my edges, testing the waters with shy toe tips.

Your adventures brought you to me some many months ago—you stumbled upon my shores, and finding yourself dazzled, hastily fell back.

Brooks, streams, lakes and rivers had not prepared you for this, for I am the ocean. Depth, strength—and yes, even breadth—you were prepared to navigate.

A horizon of miles and miles of water—as far as the eye could see—was simply too much, even for a such a seasoned adventurer.

Homeward you fled, to those hills and valleys familiar and safe. Surrounded by all you know and love, you cursed the mighty ocean. You recalled the gory tales of old—seafarers tragedies of monsters and monsoons, shipwrecks and pirates. You praised the safe land-locked world of home. In return, the woods and rolling countryside welcomed you with a quiet discontent.

The very earth saw your curses for what they were—a feeble attempt to validate your fears.

The quail trills and the cicadas’ sunset serenades plied you with insistent, wordless questions. Underneath life’s day-to-day hum, you heard the ocean’s ceaseless call.

A siren’s song for you alone has drawn you back to my sandy shores. From afar, you felt the sparkling sea kissing the earth over and again with devotion and passion. Even your dreams transport you to magnificence of the sea and the bounty within for courageous souls who dare to love her.

Nourishment, adventure, treasure—you cannot deny the ocean’s riches. Love—she waits for you, always right where you left her.

Your bravery is unquestioned—rescued damsels, tamed monsters and headless dragons litter your past. A hero’s life you’ve led. Robin Hood himself would be proud to trade tales with the likes of you. Yet, fear grips your heart and turns your stomach cold.

Can you face this challenge? It requires that you leave your heavy armor ashore and swim into the warm sea unprotected, barely covered.

Even my shallows delight your senses and the memories tempt you to return. The sun waits to kiss your skin, waves beckon you to frolic and play, while sea life offers to fill your belly and sate your huger. Ah, but the rub—you know the seduction doesn’t end there. A taste will merely whet your appetite—your heart yearns to sail the mighty sea. The notion of journeys near and far, gliding upon and slicing through the water, will lure you from the shore—and in time, you’d long to explore the very depths, all that lies unseen.

For you, the question is not about a day at the beach or a sail around the cove. You know you are being invited to the ocean floor.

Can you summon the courage to trust? I do not ask this question lightly. I am untamable, wild and powerful—beautiful and strong. I can destroy as easily as I offer life-giving bounty.

Can you imagine yourself floating—cradled in my arms—no land in sight?

Can you fathom plumbing depths so great that your own body would require a slow ascent?

Can you imagine deeper still?

The greater question—the true nature of this quest which makes you both burn with desire and quake with fear is this—can you turn your back on dreams of sunken treasure and return to the wooded valley?

Even if you do, every babbling brook, every lazy river, every gentle rain will remind you that all water returns to the ocean. You may find safety in the wood, but I guarantee you will find no peace, should you choose to decline this quest.

I should tell you now that I am gripped with fear and awe.

Mighty Adventurer—you are the earth whose shores I worship with constant, reverent kisses. Though my waters are mighty, I rest upon the earth. I cover your deepest secrets with my love, shielding you from everyone for that is what I was made to do. Still, I flow and brim no further than the bowl in which I’m set.

With each drop that returns, my soul whispers to me of mountain heights, where the earth kisses the sky, and of gentle valleys and wooded river banks. Through the eons—drop by drop—I have seen all, and now I wish to know you whole.

You are the very one I serve. My treasures lie hidden for you to discover. Beckon your courage, and I shall offer them freely. The mystery, which is plain to see, is that my treasures rest in you.

Will you come and meet me—greet me face to face? Will you swim into my waters and let me kiss you everywhere at once? Will you allow me to show you the treasures that you bear, hidden beneath my watery surface? I offer you soul nourishing sustenance, lazy days filled with frolic, adventure, treasure—and yes, even danger.

Will you travel with me to your deepest crevasses, where the core of all that is, pushes through with strength to divide the continents? Even there—even now—you feel my embrace.

I cannot follow should you choose to turn away. I can only send a million tiny blessing-kisses to shower you with unrequited love. If you would know my depths—your depths—you must come to me.

 

Author: Karen Kelly

Apprentice Editor: Tess Estandarte/Editor: Yoli Ramazzina

Photo: Pixabay