The Cure is Water — A Reflection
Who knew that water would be my escape from the real world.
It doesn’t matter where I am, or where I am going, as long as I find myself near a body of water. Water that flows and moves and rushes onto the shore, but retreets in just a rush. Waves that wash over the reef where ocean life swim, and water that seems to stretch as far as the naked eye can see.
As I spend more and more time in the water, I am learning to realise that without it we would be sick. Our bodies are 70% water, so it is safe to assume that as within, so without. The moment I find myself in a body of water, is the moment I begin to feel at one with my environment. I become full, and I become free.
I live for the salt on my skin, water in my pores, sand in my mouth, and the ocean in my soul, and as I find myself grounding, or watering, some could say, I find myself aligning deeply on so many different levels.
The ocean is a mystery.
There is so much we don’t know, and so much we yearn to know. Beneath the water is an abundance of life that is yet to be explored to its depth, and I feel that is how I feel about my own life.
With every ocean swim, I uncover more and more about who I am.
It’s as if the secrets of the ocean are revealed to me with every wave I catch and every dive I take. It’s true what they say, people naturally gravitate to their most natural state. Some people love hikes in the mountains, others prefer long runs along the shorefront, while poeple like me, we live for water.
The vastness of the ocean makes one feel free. Like a fish in an open playground, it is like there is no end to the fun. There is so much to see, so many places to go, so much to unlock that it is a never ending playground of fun.
There is no doubt that my tribe are ocean babies, and so far I am finding more and more people like me out past the break. It’s mother natures playground.
As I sit in the water, I look down and see myself clearer and clearer.
Once a blur, I can start to see a few more outlines. It seems that who I am is buried under layers and layers of beliefs that aren’t true to who I am really am at my core. But, as I wash away the lies, the more I see the truth. Surprisingly, I don’t hate who I am, I hate the person who I am not.
As I uncover more and more about who I am, the more I am falling in love with the real me. The person beneath all the stories and lies I tell myself and others. The person who isn’t the normal John Doe, but more of a contrarian than society could fathom.
As I realise I am a misfit, and accept it, I am learning to love that and respect that you can’t fit a square peg in a round hole.
A phrase I used to reject about myself, but have since learnt to appreciate. As time goes on, it goes without saying that I will continue to cleanse my soul in all bodies of water. Cleansing my soul gives me the clarity of mind, and clarity of self that I have never truly had.
Looking back, any clarity I seemed to possess only seemed to reflect the mask I was wearing at that given time, never the true authentic self that exists below all the layers of protection and safety.
Telling myself that the most important thing I can from here on out is continue to be authentic and real. The focus should be on who I am at my core and living that throughout every corner and facet of my life. Being honest is the most important attribute I will continue to possess, but being honest with myself is a different story.
Sometimes lying to yourself can be an easy way out. A way to escape reality and what you truly know to be true. Lying to yourself gives you reason to hold on to something — an old mask you used to wear, knowing it does not serve you, but not yet finding a way to step away from anything that isn’t true at its core. A lesson in and of itself.
As I move forward, I continue to strip the masks I have become accustomed to wearing, and accepting that these masks are no longer who I am and how I want to identify.
Life is a mystery, but we don’t have to be. Learning more about who we are every single day is the most important skill to possess. To be curious about self, and to continually strip away the bullsh*t we keep telling ourselves. We are not our masks, but we are are somewhere beneath all the stories we keep telling ourselves.
For me, though, one thing is absolutely true.
Bodies of water create a calm, meditative and reflective space for me to truly uncover who I truly am. Like a reef under the sand, when you wash away all the particles, you begin to see the beautiful colours of the coral and oceanic rock, as well as the vast wildlife and fish that co-exist.
We understand how dangerous a mask can be. We all become what we pretend to be.
