From My Travel Journals: Boat Ride Reminders
Today I’m sharing some thoughts from my journal from my Thanksgiving trip to the Florida Keys. We rented a boat while there and I realized that it had been a year since I had been on a boat. Last year, I spent lots of time using boats as a main source of transportation while I was in Madagascar, so when I realized it had been a year since I was on a boat it made the day a little more special.
Sun. November 24th
Today was the first day in over a year that I was on a boat and slipped into a mask and fins. There’s nothing innately significant about this per say… more just my nostalgic head at play. It did feel special though- the feelings of wonder, adventure and excitement buzzing around while bumping over waves, the resulting ocean spray leaving me salt blind.
I was reminded that we are but one part of the large whole here on Mama Earth. We coexist. Our lives depend on the underwater ecosystems, the ones made up of barracudas, sea turtles, yellow tails, corals and sea sponges. Not only do our lives depend on them, but they depend on us. One cannot fully exist in a healthy way without the other.
Being reminded of that is special. It’s special being face to face with the fish. It’s special feeling the strange mix of fear, uncertainty and awe while swimming alongside a barracuda. It’s special to be immersed in the thing you love.
So, maybe today on the boat was actually significant. Maybe realizing that it had been a year since I was cruising on a boat with it’s salty spray and venturing beneath the surface was meant to be a big reminder. I wasn’t sick or anxious or nervous. I was excited. I was wondrous. I was open. I was open to the reminder of how small we are. I was open to the reminder that we are all just little pieces to a puzzle, but that we hold heavy responsibilities. I was open to the reminder that Mama Ocean is but a big, blue, salty teacher. She is both full of immense power and a gentle hand.
I spent so much time in Madagascar taking boats island hopping in order to go to the doctors. I spent so much time sick in Madagascar. I spent so much time not being able to kit up and head out for dives. I spent so much time fighting with my own head. Through all that, though, I also spent so much time appreciating the ocean. I learned a lot about it’s inhabitants.
Now, a year later, I was given a solid reminder of why I appreciate the ocean so much. It’s not something I ever quite forget, but the feelings are a little less intense and not quite at the forefront of your mind when you are removed from the location. Being back on the boat, headed back out into the middle of the vast Atlantic I remembered how much inspiration I find beneath it’s surface. It’s what reminds me why I chose to reduce my plastic use. It reminds me that there is a whole world, that is only briefly discovered, that we are harming due to so many of our everyday actions. It reminds me that we are not the sole inhabitants of this planet and should treat it accordingly.
More thoughts from my travel journals, here.