The Universal Enthrall

She stood there, staring at the ocean's expanse as the waves lapped around her feet, the tide moving in high enough that the hem of her dress, too, became submerged, weighted with the wet. She paid no mind to this as she got lost in the waters for quite some time. Surrounding noises and distractions -- children, gulls, runners running past -- did not pull her away. Her thoughts remained past the crests and into the depths as far as her eye could take her.

And I know all of this because I am her, too. That, too, is my own experience with the ocean. It grounds me. It pulls away at my worries and insecurities; I offer it my deepest sadnesses, and it washes them in the tumbling surf and returns them to me with a clarity.

We often refer to the oceans between us to imply great distance -- physical and emotional -- but, in truth, it's the ocean that connects us.

I do hope all her thoughts returned with renewed clarity.