My kind of happy place- Meditation with the ocean

    As I admired the rising waves of the ocean with a peaceful look in my eyes, I was interrupted by my husband’s curious thought “Why do you love to stare at the waters?”

     While all I could do was offer a little smile with no particular words, I realized there is no good answer to this question. What is it that makes me peaceful, happy, calm and joyous, every time I enjoy the ocean? What do I get by just staring at the unlimited scope of a huge ocean, extending to its horizon? Why does the meeting point of ocean and the sky seem so amazing that it prompts me to stay quiet?

    Though I cannot claim to be a water baby with love for surfing, swimming or jumping into the beach, I enjoy the sight of an ocean. It calms my senses with a peaceful approach, making me realize that life is not as complicated as we assume it to be. When extrapolating our challenges, troubles, achievements and plans over the graph of this extensive nature, everything seems insignificant or disappears into thin air. As the waters extend to unimaginable limits, life appears wonderful, blessed and amazing to say the least. At a spot on the horizon, where our imagination ceases to exist and everything we seem to know just goes out of reach, life emerges with a guiding light.

    When I look at the might strength of the ocean, I experience something beyond words. When nothing stands between me and the waves, it transports me to a different world filled with hope, love, affection, and happiness. Though meditation involves actions and efforts from our end, it seems to go effortlessly while looking at the waves. I admire the power of the ocean, because it can successfully shut the chaos in my mind. No matter how many chain of thoughts seem to dance around in my head, the waters of the ocean have the capacity to turn it off. As if the entire world and its problems can wait, while I communicate with the wonderful ocean. It hugs me in its embrace, offering a much needed assurance that everything is amazing.

  Whatever worries are mounting in my over active mind are just useless fragments of thoughts, when the ocean looks into my eyes and demands trust. Trust in the fact that future is beyond hold, past was over long before I realized, and all I have is the glorious present.

   No other factor can force me to go ‘carpe diem’, the way the ocean does. ‘Stay in the moment - savor, enjoy and love it’ is what the ocean commands, when the waves rise and fall. As the water prepares itself to form waves and the stage is set every single time, the underlying thought stresses over the need to live in the moment. Embrace everything that life offers with open arms because it lies in our hands. Excessive worry about what happens tomorrow will only spoil the fantastic show in front of you today. It is amazing how the ocean silently teaches all these things by simply shinning under the sparkling sun.

    When I look at the waters, I enjoy the experience of being so far, yet so close. The power of the ocean lies in its influence spreading far and wide. I do not find the need to touch the waters in order to hear them speak. Wetting my feet under the waves or receding sand under my feet is not the only way to appreciate their presence. My happy place is admiring their power from a distance. As the nature presents an orchestra with its wonderful assembly of performers and instruments, I enjoy my first-row seat to witness it all. An enthusiastic member of the audience, I applaud as the waves come and go. It is this feeling of enjoying a spectacular show that draws me to the shore every single time. Watch the mighty ocean from my seat on the sand is the way to go.

     I feel I cannot do justice to the wonders of this experience with my limited stock of vocabulary. What drives me to a calm sense of satisfaction, pleasure and happiness cannot be explained in a way that says it all. When I look at the waters, I hear myself saying “You stay where you are, I will stay where I am, but we shall talk to each other as long as we can.”

    It is necessary to find such kind of happy place for each one of us. It may be a mountain, lake, ocean or tree. It can be a far-away spot from home or someplace right around the corner. But, it must exist. Find a place that forces you to shut your thoughts. Find a meditative spot where your mind relaxes with ease and surrenders itself to the present. While surrounded by endless responsibilities and chaotic circumstances, it is hard to leave our thoughts for a while. But at the end, unless we realize that thoughts take us nowhere; while action is all we need, it may be difficult to live ‘here and now’. When the huge, unimaginable power of universe sends it natural wonders as messengers, we have no choice but to listen to their commands. Satisfaction in the thought that something as huge as the ocean can stay right there for me without any haste to be someplace else makes me quiet, happy and contented.

    A meditative action with natural wonders may be that much needed impulse to stop the chaos. In a world where we bump into sorrows, hatred, problems, doubts and worries at almost every other step along the path, it is necessary to seek peace. Relax in your thoughts, find calmness at a happy place and savor the satisfaction it offers.  

   As for me, sight of the ocean with its never-ending extend will continue to be meditative and peaceful. So next time, you find me smiling at the ocean - remember, it’s just my usual conversation with the waves!