To feel: – Anger/Waves

Take a narrow, winding road through isolated mountains full of waterfalls, tall fir trees, moss and tough granite to a tiny town on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The town of Tofino is unique in its stubborn ability to ignore modern progress. There is no Walmart, McDonald’s or even Tim Horton’s.  It a long stretch of lonely road to find those too. Tofino is a town most artists would love.

My first sighting of the ocean, in the off-season, was awe, followed immediately by a feeling of their rage.

I was shocked.  Normally I do not consider the sound of rolling waves lapping against the shore – anger. These waves neither rolled or lapped.  These were definitely waves fueled by anger.

The waves that crashed against  granite, wearing rocks away to pulverized sand made me feel they were pure, unbridled anger.  There is no way to stop their relentless destruction.  I was both fascinated and uneasy.  The towering waves smashing with a boom against the rocks with a hissing splash of water, flooding them were an absolute surety there are forces that can’t be stopped.  I realized the sands I walked on as the tide moved out and the holes and chips in the crags and rocks were caused by the power of the waves.  The longer I watched the more I felt their anger.

As a writer, when I need to summon the fury and power of anger, I close my eyes and see the waves of Tofino.  I feel it, I see it.  It is a sight once seen, that can never be forgotten.

The tide starting to come in.  Soon we must leave the beach or be swallowed by the rising waves.

Search for Peace and Hope

 Search for Peace and Hope:

A post by Sean.  I like the way he ties in and questions why the waves of the ocean cause calmness within. This is another example of his beautiful in-depth pondering on a simple aspect of our lives that uplifts and helps me in my daily tasks.  Thank you Sean.

I went on a vacation the other day. This was not the type of vacation you take when events are so stressful that you need to be completely removed from life, but only partially removed. I am lucky enough to live in a place where I can visit the ocean, and even luckier that I went to a place situated right next to a beach. For an entire day, the waves of the ocean drummed in my ear. For those who have not experienced it, or for those who have forgotten, the ocean is one of the most calming natural devices. There is something so transfixing about the waves. Listening to it, the concept of time is not as urgent. Everything is able to slow down. Considering how technology-driven our society is, this is a blessing. Unlike modern life, listening to the ocean does not require checking or updating of any kind, whether it be for cell phones, e-mail, Facebook, online chat rooms, tweets, or texts. Having such a break is really a pleasure. As I listened to the ocean, I heard the repetition. Is this why it is so calming? Is there solace in the knowledge of the aquatic ritual? I would like to say that there is. For me at least, there is a comfort in knowing that, no matter how far out the waves go, they will always return in the end. I like to see it as a kind of metaphor for hope. Life often seems like it is slipping away from us. It is easy to feel that the life we have created is being washed away and that we are losing control. It is as if we are the waves that are being drawn down, down, down to the beaches. But there is hope. No matter how far down we go, if we continue to hold on, we will return to shore. Hope is something that many are deprived of. With such a focus on the negativity, it is hard to remember about the concept of hope. Reading books like Mary’s changes this. They re-awaken you and help you to remember the good in life. Why must we focus on the bad when we have so much good? Sometimes, something as seemingly simple as staring at the ocean or reading a great book can help you to remember that, no matter what, you will make it through.