A wave begins beneath the surface. It grows in size and strength as it moves towards the inevitable beach where it comes crashing to an end, only to seep back to its beginnings again. Thus is the condition of man.

The origin, the essence, the force of a wave is its ocean. We get confused because we think, “I’m a wave! I’m a wave! Look how big. Look how strong.” But then, “uh-oh, the beach!” upon which we all crash with a splash. A wave is temporary. Ocean is eternal. You are both.

A wave is form. The ocean’s depth is not. Wave is just the manifestation of me. It goes forward fast or slow, smooth or rough. It is surrounded by ever changing circumstances like the sun and the moon, the blizzard, the breeze, the drought, the deluge. Every wave wanders in his own way. Every wave weaves a unique wake behind.

Fears of too little, too much, of too early, too late. Fears of being too this, too that (and, of course, being too fat) are scary stories we tell ourselves. All these myths about me which I so readily believe tie me up like the murky strands of seaweed accumulated along my way. But this is brain’s debris. It is our brain’s disease. We get entangled in all the thoughts and things we collect to fill our lives, hoping they will prove we once were. Everything that can be picked up and carried, all possessions, prized or not, are the very things that will crash into nothingness on the beach. The coffin closes. You thought it would be filled with your life story. But there is nothing inside. Not even you.

Never forget that being a wave means you are ocean.

Enjoy being a wave. Frolic in ocean’s froth. Let yourself splash about with the seagulls, dance with the dolphins, sparkle in the sunshine, shimmer in the moon’s light. And yes, a wave’s journey will be one of ups and downs. That’s what waves do. But that is not what they are.

Always be grateful, even when the shore is in sight. You have to embody a wave to realize you are ocean.