Me and the Sea

Happy Ocean Day! Did you even know it was Ocean Day? Anyway, to celebrate the occasion (to raise awareness) CrazyCris over at Here, There and Everywhere is hosting a blog-a-thon! Click this link to read contributions from all over the world: oceanic-blog-thon


Being a land-dweller far from the salty air, I mostly take for granted the ocean will always be there whenever I choose to travel to the beach. Instead of boring you statistics and details, I thought I'd share what went through my mind when Chris made me think about the ocean...

I'm more of a fresh-water girl. Sure I've splashed in the surf, Atlantic and Pacific, and felt the salt on my skin. But I've never ventured farther out than that perfect breaker for my raft, and that's been a while. I enjoy watching the educational and travel shows that explore marine life, be it animal or plant, as well as the programs that serve to warn us of the impending situation facing this magnificent liquid that covers so much of our planet. But what's it to me?



Yes, I'm concerned. Yes, I care. Truthfully? I can't relate to how big this ice shelf is that broke off. I can't relate to the loss of coral reefs or contaminated waters. I have no idea how many seals or whales populate any particular area. There is something, though, very concrete about the water that I can relate to...



Many times I have traveled to the coast and sat on the sand at night. There is no better time for me to be there. I have found myself in solitude, under the moonlight, dreaming out past the lit breakers. My worries and burdens rinse away with the sand under my feet... because I am so small. Even smaller at night. The horizon seems infinite in the sun's absence. Somewhere, far beyond any point I may strain to see, the stars and the waves merge together in total blackness. It is as if I am looking out into the vast universe with the lights turned out. It is as unimportant as a person can feel, and yet at the same time, as close to God as one can be. For me, it puts things in perspective... and that is peace.



Even in the darkness, I see the ocean as alive. It's a life force, constantly surging. And now, this hugeness, this enormous creature that sustains, is being devoured. Who or what is this demon that could cripple the most powerful force on the face of the earth?



They are the ants. Remember watching them on the picnic? Here was this huge scrap of food being carried away by this miniature army. An impossible task alone, but the army... Yes, these small, innocuous bits of life can together wreak havoc in a very large way. So what kind of ants can kill an ocean? Maybe all those small, innocuous little bits of rubbish, a few extra pounds of fish taken, a minor spill from a tanker, a slight temperature increase over a long term... The list of suspects is long and still growing. With every evil uncovered, another crisis looms undetected.

Like the ants that draw a solid line toward the watermelon, stepping on one is pointless - so why bother? Well, maybe if we first all train ourselves to recognize the sign of ants, and then you step on that one...