Wave Jumping – Thoughts of Summer

The ocean has been on my mind a lot this past … season. I don’t know what to call the current season because there isn’t enough snow to be winter and the lack of flourishing green vegetation indicates spring has yet to arrive.

These are from Lavallette, NJ during my last beach trip for the season, October 3, 2011.

Did anyone else cringe and say “ouch” when his board hit the water?

Columbus’ Pedestal at Night

Where lies the land to which the ship would go?
Far, far ahead is all her seamen know.
And where the land she travels from? Away,
Far, far behind, is all that they can say.

excerpt from Where Lies the Land
by Arthur Hugh Clough

Each Ocean Wave Has Two Faces

A wave moving across the vast ocean expanse is lost in the horizon. Hardly distinguished from the crest before or the one yet to come into view. The will of the wind conforms each wave’s size and frequency. The wave doesn’t start to become unique until it reaches a boundary.

The shore edge is a boundary that is the breaking point of all waves. Standing from shore you see the wave crest and erupt into a white frothy foam. Perhaps it curls into a graceful tunnel as it goes storming out of existence. The side you see from shore is confrontational and magnificent, the source of many inspired writings and thoughts.

Opposite the magnificence and fury is a side that few see or experience. The back of the wave is as graceful as the front is unwieldy. It appears to effortlessly roll over and into the shore as to rest for another attempt at overcoming the boundary. If the wind is fickle and changes direction against the wave it created the frothy spray is whisked up into the air as an ethereal veil to cover the wave’s graceful end.

People are much the same when the precipice of a unavoidable boundary is reached. The face and emotion that everyone can see doesn’t always correspond to the emotion or rational behind it. While the world may see a game face approaching the boundary the true face behind it may be completely opposite.

Who can see both of your faces?

"Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me."
Psalm 42:7 NIV