The Sea

Having lived at the coast for many years, for the past ten months I have lived decidedly inland - pretty much the farthest you can get in this country from the sea. And so, having made a trip to the coast for the ordination of a friend at the weekend, it was with great relish that I took the opportunity to steal an hour getting reacquainted with this majestic beauty that never fails to point me to another, even greater majesty...


Even before you come into view, my heart quickens with anticipation as I approach;
I am on the verge of adventure and discovery and coming home, all at once.

My heart catches with that first, satisfying glimpse.
But one glimpse is never enough;
And instinctively I am drawn closer
and closer
and closer
until I am as near as I can get,
enveloped within your reality
and captivated with wonder
as I gaze upon your majestic vastness.

I know I cannot comprehend your limits.
Nevertheless, as I look out onto your horizon
the normal confines of my daily reality are blown apart.
Stagnant air is chased away
and my lungs are refreshingly filled
with your powerful, invigorating wind.

I am not alone here.
Your mysterious call draws many -
some cautious, some with joyful abandon -
strangers spanning the spectrum of humanity
united by our common enchantment.

Even still, this is an intimate moment.
There is something about being here
seemingly engulfed in your unfathomable magnitude
that awakens within me a deeper sense of myself;
Lost in you, I am refound.

When it is time to go, I do not want to leave.
I could spend eternity here, never tiring of your mesmerising beauty.
But, for now, life inland demands my return.
As I pull myself away, I feel the power of this encounter still at work within me.
I do not leave unchanged.  

I feel alive.