The Sun is Setting on My Contentment With Land

A poem and contemplation

A Poem

Take me aboard the houseboat or sail Any boat with a motor Or even a whale

I’m on a mission to a place adrift from the shore Any way I can get there Show me the door

The water welcomes me, that will never fail We share a satisfying free energy That pushes me to prevail

Travel restrictions canceled all I had planned But, I am not meant to be bound to only this land

Whatever it may be, I will pay the bail The water is calling With a breeze to inhale

Oh, the only collateral is my health that may fail Some people travel by plane, train, and automobile

I have stayed home, taking our safety for real How much more can I take of this longing I feel

Should I start walking toward the sand The sun is setting on my contentment with being on land

And Contemplation

I have been very lucky to not be personally affected by the virus up to this point. I have had a long time to contemplate the way that I have handled the pandemic restrictions and the impact I have felt from this time inside.

Like many people — I have been working from home for at least ten months. I have been having groceries delivered. I have not been seeing family or friends, or really going out of my house except for daily walks.

The thing that I may be experiencing differently…I have not really been missing any of it.

I have enjoyed the time to develop many creative outlets that were lost for years, in the hustle of my regular life. I have enjoyed the quiet. I have enjoyed engaging with others (virtually) only when I wanted to (except for work…but even that has been much more optional in many ways).

What I miss the most is the feeling of awe from experiencing a new place, and especially the waterways of wherever my travels take me — boating, jet skiing, or swimming, walking, dining, and relaxing along the water’s edge. I miss the satisfying free energy I get from the water. I have realized that I was not meant to be bound to only the land or so closely bound to the people of the land. I need the free space like that created between the water and the sky.

I knew this to a certain degree before, but I would have never fully realized it without a quiet pause.

What have you discovered about yourself as you contemplate the way you handled the pandemic restrictions and the impact you have felt from this time inside?

Like me, I hope you will use your own discoveries to live your best life now as much as possible, and even more fully in the future.

Thanks for reading! If you want to read more…