facing the ocean

I stand on the edge
They rise and crash and swell in front of me
I can feel the power they exert, but I am as yet untouched
I take a deep breath
I wet my toes
Sometimes I wait, sometimes I plunge right in
Sometimes they are calm and placid and it’s easy to move forward,
Other times it’s blowing this way and that, with a silent rip beneath the surface.

Eager faces, blank faces, black faces, white faces, faces with pent up emotion, faces with no emotion, happy faces, excited faces, moving faces, still faces.. a sea of faces

I push forward
I am determined to reach the other side of the break line before my time is over
I have so much to share
but sometimes sharing isn’t that much fun…
When it’s rough.
I enter and feel the waves crash against my face and break against my body
I know if I can get out beyond the break line I’ll enjoy it
Out there I can relax… it’s forever moving, but it’s calm
I do this every day, this battle against the waves.
Sometimes it’s so easy to get out there, and I look forward to it
Once I’m there it’s comfortable, even fun
But other days facing the waves is the biggest challenge there is
Pushing, fighting, ducking and weaving
And sometimes, I have to come in before I even get out there,
but that’s ok, because there’s always next time
And you have to fight the waves if you want to swim anywhere!