Flight #AV0483 is on-time and awaits an open runway for takeoff. Nine (eleven in spirit) anticipating explorers sit in his or her own reflection, heart-ache, longing, contentment, excitement, appreciation, sadness, and love… Each, a vessel having once been overwhelmed by fiery rain, slowly floats toward Oceans’ surface to meet a new day.
There was a time when we stood back, observing from Shores’ safe sands, in awe of Oceans’ expressive faces. Sun illuminating hues of greens, blues, turquoise. An immense pond of life-force rustled awake by Winds’ sweet caress.
Following a spark of inspiration, there was a moment when we each decided to drink deeply of the sweet and fiery droplets of Clouds’ offering. Open, and overwhelmed, we were weighted to greater ocean depths…
Nicaragua,
and deeper…
Costa Rica,
even deeper…
Guatemala,
And finally deeper into another world once inconceivable…
Roatan.
Throughout all the journey were practices in being and experiences lined with questions…
Where do I come from? How did I arrive here? Is it safe? Will I be accepted? What is my story? What’s yours?
Upon questions…
What am I grateful for? What have I taken for granted? What is privilege? Should I feel guilty? What can I do? What is helpful? What isn’t? Why am I here? Intention. Impact. What is important?
Upon questions…
Where do hippies come from? Where do they go? Is living with the land for me? Can I live without it?
And questions…
How many turtle hatchlings live to adulthood? Is this cruel? Sad? Maybe with love and encouragement this whole bunch will live long and healthy lives. Am I naive? Should I dream? What’s at risk if I stop?
Upon questions…
Is my Spanish improving? What do the vibrancy of clothing and traditions represent? What is the history and future of indigenous people? What is it to be called indigenous? How does my presence effect the world around me? How do my actions at home relate to the rest of the world? What is natural regarding cultural evolution? What’s irresponsible? What is a global citizen? What is education good for? What is education? Who’s education? What’s working? What’s not? How might I be responsible?
Upon questions…
What is important to me? What is the difference between acceptance and apathy? How does privilege relate to responsibility? From where do I derive my power? How do i exercise it? What is it to be fully alive?
And questions…
What will life be like when I return? What will I be like? How are my friends and family? What are the big conversations to be had? How to begin? Will anyone understand? Will I become bored? Depressed? What boxes will people try to put me in? How do I build bridges of connection and understanding? How do I show up as my fullest self? How might this effect others?
As questions begin to build momentum, we STOP! Words and thoughts escape as we confront infinite beauty beyond Ocean’s face and within coral reefs. It is an underwater orchestra–silent, rythmic, and vocal, all at once. Connected. Plantlife dances fluidly with Ocean’s current while delicate crabs clean zebra-striped fish. We float, we drift, we dive. A turtle passes casually near, then a smiling dolphin says hello. Hungry coral reef, sharp as glass, stretches out finger-like plantlife to capture unsuspecting blood worms. Life-feeds life-feeds death-feeds life. And so it is. The cycle continues. Inspiration ensues…
“We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers
And sitting by desolate streams;
World losers and world forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.
With wonderful deathless ditties
We build up the world’s great cities.
And out of a fabulous story
We fashion an empire’s glory:
One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a crown;
And three with a new song’s measure
Can trample an empire down.
We, in the ages lying
In the buried past of the earth,
Built Nineveh with our sighing,
And Babel itself with our mirth;
And o’erthrew them with prophesying
To the old of the new world’s worth;
For each age is a dream that is dying,
Or one that is coming to birth.”
-Aurthur O’Shaugnessy
Like the currents that ebb and flow while feeling deeply the Moons’ presence, so do the music-makers. Now, we slow, breathe, and revisit Oceans’ face with newfound appreciation and connection to life. Buoyant. With fuller hearts. With smiles. With sadness. Our vision has shifted. New opportunity. New challenges. New fire. New rest. Letting go. Bringing in… Breathing… In…….. Out…….. Smile slighly showing in the corners of the mouth. Grieving. At peace. Joyful. Full of care… Thank you…
“You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again.
So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below,
but what is below does not know what is above.
One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen.
There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions
by the memory of what one saw higher up.
When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.”
-Rene Dumal