Sea Legs

The last few months have been a lot for me and I’ve found myself lost in place more often than not. This last month, a 6 day trip to Oregon turned into a 5 week stint, tethered to my old home in Portland thanks to a particularly annoying vehicular conundrum. My truck was in the shop for weeks leaving me immobile for the first time in a decade. It’s crazy how helpless I can feel without the ability to get out of the city... When I got the truck back, I was on the verge of losing it so, the first thing I did was take her down the coast so that Len and I could yell at the ocean for a bit.

This time of year, she tends to yell back.

Everywhere I go, I find pieces of myself floating on the wind. These slivers of self, plucked from the ether and deposited deep within my bones, are what keeps pulling me through this world as I constantly learn, unlearn, and relearn who I am.

With every moment met and every story told, I find myself steered through the void by a mechanism of my own making. With every detour taken and discovery made, that mechanism simplifies, becoming more agile as my trajectory takes shape.

We’re all just doing the best we can, and that is more than enough. Anyone that says they have it all figured out is lying to you or, worse, lying to themselves. The truest truth that I have ever known is that there are no answers out here, only deeper questions... but that’s what makes life worth living.

Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it and, if you’re feeling low, go talk to the ocean. Get some sand between your toes and some salt between your ears, maybe chase some crabs or heckle a few eagles.

When all else fails, take it from me...
Goddamn, how sweet a thing it is, to love and be loved by the sea.