6 – Waves

Starting 12th Nov – Thursday walks

Click the video above for 2 minutes of background waves while reading.

I like walking on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet. 

I like walking at the shoreline – the point where land meets the sea – the land that also continues into the sea. It’s the shoreline that disappears and reappears with each wave – with each tide.

The rhythmic action of waves catches my attention. Each wave washing ashore is different and their terminal points on the sand resemble a changing graph with many peaks and troughs – then the water retreats to interfere with the next incoming wave. 

No matter the day or the time of day, waves are reliable. We can count on them. Some days they bring water ashore with a gentle, velvety touch. Other days as a thunderous, splashing roar. No matter the time of day, waves have a rhythm, but they differ from loud and roaring to a gentle ripple – yet all are refreshing.

Photo by Rafael Paul on Pexels.com

Along with tides, waves move jellyfish – even unwillingly bringing them to shore. Some will die while others will be saved by the waves and tides. Waves also help renew the shore with new shells for shellers to pursue.

Some days the moving water is a gentle roll allowing boats to smoothly glide. Other days the water violently toss vessels as if they are a small toy in a bathtub with a splashing child.

I think of waves as numerous metaphors in art, literature, and life.

Waves represent the ups and downs of life. The good days and the difficult days. Signs of the euphoria of successes and personal highs, plus the depths of grief and despair.  Waves represent the wide range of human emotions from calm to rage and everything in between.  

The crest and troughs of waves are its rise and fall. Moving an object as a boat up and down like the rollercoaster of life whose ups and downs can be a wild ride. The rise and fall resembling our changing moods. Let us not forget the rolling rise and fall movements of a beautiful waltz.

Swimming or even walking against the waves is like going against personal troubles or even problems in the world. Maybe the wind is providing the words of encouragement or caution.

Riding the waves must be a freedom experience. However, surfing involves speed and power traveling along the fine line of life that involves falls, tumbles, and even death on the road to achieving exhilarating glory. Yet, surfers also get back up to try again after the fall and tumble.

Photo by Hernan Pauccara on Pexels.com

Waves – created by moving water contacting the ocean floor causing the water to surge upward. The wind and other factors also influence waves. Waves act on movable objects by lurching them forward, after which they lower and settle until encountering the next wave.

Relationships with waves are similar to human relationships – each requires patience and understanding. To capture the right photograph of a wave one must wait – be patient – just as a surfer waits to capture the right wave at the right time with hopes of achieving a rewarding exhilaration.

Big and small waves represent our contributions in life. Not that each of us ever develop a new vaccine, make a monumental discovery, or find a cure for cancer – each of us has contributed to humanity in ways that we may not realize through simple acts that impact others – acts that the receiver may pass on to others in the future without us knowing.

Waves represent a link between the conscious and subconscious. That is, the waves washing ashore are where the conscious and subconscious meet. Therefore, waves represent the tears of sorrow moving across one’s face examining the past, present, and future. 

Waves are like sounds of the beating drums of societal chants that seemingly come and go. Yet, waves are ever-present as if they are waiting for their call to action.

Waves resemble the music that builds through crescendos to a peaking moment – the music that can also soften through decrescendos as it brings one back to reality or calm. 

Waves wash away the footprints on the sand – wash away the sign of one’s past presence on that spot – just as Alzheimer’s wipes away the memories. Waves washing cleansing my feet of the bad, but also washing away some good.

Photo by Travis Rupert on Pexels.com

Looking across the water, I see many waves, each surging energy through moving toward the shore. Waves do not seem to cause the surface water to move forward – but the surface bobs up and down as the energy passes.

I think of waves away from the shore and the energy they possess. The energy motivating one to catch the wave – the same energy allowing them to ride high. The same energy that can tumble one into the abyss below. 

Waves are surges of energy in water – energy in transmission – therefore a source that can be captured and transformed into electricity.

I think of the parallels that the waves of the sea have with other waves such as sound, light, radio, X-rays, microwaves, and infrared. All waves transfer energy. All waves carry unique messages, but only the waves I see here can carry messages in a bottle.

Waves are one of the timeless, reliable rhythms of life making our world so grand. They possess mystical powers that unite us with the beauty around us. With all this, how can I not like strolling this place? After all, I like walking on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

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Next Walk: Horizon – Tuesday 10 November @ 1 AM (Eastern US)

What others have posted about waves.

• Waves washing sand
• Waves – Llandudno, South Africa
• The Waves
• Waves of a different kind
• Wave: a poem