The Deep Blue Sea: Calm the emotional tides
The ocean has a powerful and instantaneous way of clearing emotional clutter. It brings us back to our baseline and fills us with a calm energy. Here are 12 of my favorite quotes about the cleansing and uplifting qualities of this immense beauty.
1. When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds, cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused. -Rainer Maria Rilke
2. The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. -Jacques Cousteau
3. “Doesn’t it seem to you,” asked Madame Bovary, “that the mind moves more freely in the presence of that boundless expanse, that the sight of it elevates the soul and gives rise to thoughts of the infinite and the ideal?” –Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary
4. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it, we are going back from whence we came. –John F. Kennedy
5. The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach – waiting for a gift from the sea. -Anne Morrow Lindbergh
6. For whatever we lose (like a you or a me) it’s always ourselves we find in the sea. -e.e. cummings
7. Hark, now hear the sailors cry / smell the sea, and feel the sky / let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic. –Van Morrison
8. I could never stay long enough on the shore; the tang of the untainted, fresh, and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought. -Helen Keller
9. The waves of the sea help me get back to me. -Jill Davis
10. Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think. -Robert Henri
11. At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides, and follow the sun. -Anonymous
12. My soul is full of longing / For the secret of the sea, / And the heart of the great ocean / Sends a thrilling pulse through me. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Need I say more? Live a wholehearted life by creating balance between the storms and the calm. Just like the ocean, the tides of your life can become tumultuous and unpredictable.
Honor the need to fill your cup. Your sea could be 10 minutes alone with a favorite book or music, a moment connecting with someone you love, or a walk outside in nature. It will help you cope when life presents new challenges.
Notice when you feel depleted – especially if you tend to give, accommodate, and serve others. Your sea could be saying, “No.”, and establishing healthy boundaries. Be honest about your commitments. Give yourself permission to create more “me” time.
