The Sea

My Beach

Today is World Ocean’s Day. In honor of this momentous event, my friend Cris, who writes two wonderful blogs, asked those of us who also blog to post something that she could share with others. I have wanted to post a blog about my love of the sea for some time, so I thought today would be the appropriate time. Because other writers have also loved the sea, I decided to structure it around my five favorite quotes on the subject and tell you all why these quotes mean as much to me as they do.

5: “I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.”
-- John Masefield
Not only do I love the sea, I love to be on it. While any kind of boat will do, there is nothing like having the tiller of a sailboat in your hands. It is the ultimate communication between man and nature because, as a sailer, you are entirely dependent on the wind and the tides. You can manipulate them and you can use them to get where you are going, but finally you need to work with them to move forward. A wonderful metaphor for how life should be lived.

4: “Look at that sea, girls--all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds.”
-- Lucy Montgomery
This has been one of my favorite quotes since I first read Anne of Green Gables. It reminds me that the mad rush to accumulate stuff finally doesn’t matter. What does matter is my “scope for the imagination” and my “bosom friends.” Going down to look at the sea is a wonderful way to put what really matters into perspective.

3: “To reach a port we must set sail –
Sail, not tie at anchor
Sail, not drift.”
-- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
I love this quote because it reminds me to do something every day. Move forward, don’t sit still and don’t allow life to make your decisions for you. Sail.

2: "The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.”
-- Kate Chopin
I love to swim. Put me near a body of water and I am in it. There is nothing that compares, however, with swimming in the sea. It is fun to play in the waves, diving under and coming up or jumping over, feeling the freedom of flight for several brief seconds. While I have a healthy respect for the sea, I have never been afraid of it and love nothing better than to be part of it, however briefly.

1: “The cure for anything is salt water -- sweat, tears, or the sea.”
-- Isak Dinesen
Not only is this my favorite quote about the sea, it is probably my favorite quote of all time. Why? Because Dinesen sums up perfectly how one should live. When life becomes too much, too hard, too stressful, too sad, it is easy to wallow in the pain and to sink into self-pity. This is a solution that, I have found, never works. Instead, one should work hard to fix the problem (sweat); sit down, have a good cry and then get over it (tears); and, finally, one should go listen to the surf and look at the horizon (sea). Looking out over a surf puts everything into perspective and the rhythmic sound of the surf can bring one’s blood pressure back to a much more manageable state. Trust me, it works every time.

To read about other's experiences with the seas, click here. Thanks, Cris, for organizing this.