poetry

Reminder to Myself: When I Am Thankful for Something Each Day. {poetry}

 

Often in my writing, I use the ocean as a metaphor for life.

For more than 50 years, I have lived on the coast of California. The ocean is where I go for fun — to play volleyball, swim, body-board, kayak, walk the beaches, and hike the headlands. It is also the place I go to find harmony, especially when I have lost loved ones, and I am seeking solace.

Several times in travels, I have had the experience of being gripped in a riptide. Even though I felt an instant panic, I knew from what I learned to become a lifeguard that fighting against the current would get me nowhere. To save myself, I needed to take in as much air as possible and relax into the force of the waves until I could swim crosswise out of the current.

This was also taught to us in scuba diving classes. Being able to ward off panic and stay calm in the face of fear could be the difference between life and death.

It feels to me that there is wisdom regarding these experiences in the ocean that can be applied to living.

The riptide metaphor helped me to describe what I was feeling when I watched the world events playing out on the nightly news in 2020 and even this year. I tried to let what I was watching wash over me, of course with compassion for all who were suffering for different reasons, but not let the fear and despair make it so I couldn’t find something to be happy about and thankful for each day.

It was a grace when I was able to remind myself of this. It is a practice, for sure, to be honed with time.

***

Remember being gripped
by the riptide,
the sudden panic
when it seemed Neptune’s net
was mightier
than your mortal self,
then the sharp realization
that measured strokes forward
would get you nowhere.
Sometimes a roundabout
slant is necessary.
Dragged into a pummeling
with Poseidon,
you rack your brain
for garnered wisdom
regarding undertows.
Out of the blue
a grace-given will surfaces
to hold fear at bay,
guidance to draw in
the deepest breath possible
before going under.
You allow the waves to wash over
rather than beat you down,
in the end reviving
those primordial powers of the spirit,
the ones bequeathed to you at birth
and honed through time.

***

Carolyn Chilton Casas is a Reiki Master and teacher. Her favorite themes to write about are healing, awareness, and the life journey. Carolyn’s stories and poems have appeared in Braided Way, Energy, Odyssey, Reiki News Magazine, The Art of Healing, Touch, and in other publications. You can read more of Carolyn’s work on Instagram or in her first collection of poems titled Our Shared Breath.

***

{Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest}

Comments

Rebelle Society

Rebelle Society

Rebelle Society is an online hub for writers, artists and creators sharing their stories and celebrating the Art of Being Alive. Join us on Facebook & Instagram for inspiration and Creative Rebellion. Join our Rebelle Insider List along with thousands of Dreamers & Doers around the world for FREE creative resources, special discounts on our programs, soul fuel & motivation to love and create your life.
Rebelle Society
Rebelle Society

Latest posts by Rebelle Society (see all)

Rebelle Society