This morning, while reading my daily inspirations, I was reminded of my first sailing experience on Lake Superior. The first of many sailing trips on that beautiful lake, we had been on the sailboat for perhaps a couple hours when another passenger asked to captain the boat. I had just gone down below to grab something to eat as we began lurching back and forth over the waves. I immediately felt sick and broke out in a sweat. I sat down, and then laid down, thinking it would help, but it only made me more sick. I stuck my head out of the hatch and told my friend that I thought I was going to be sick. She told me to come back up top and look out at the horizon. I did so, and my stomach immediately began to settle down. The real captain of the boat took over once more and brought us back on course with the waves and wind, and I was feeling perfectly fine once more.
Having never been on anything more than a fishing boat on mostly calm lakes, I learned an important lesson about sailing that day. You are meant to stay up top, only going below when you need to grab something, like a treat, or when sleeping. The whole purpose for sailing is to be in it, and being in it happens top deck.
Today, I learned how sailing offers us another metaphor in life. When we are troubled by what life has to offer us, it’s important to gain perspective of something larger than our troubles. And so we look to the horizon for perspective. For those of us who believe in a Higher Power, that horizon can be considered God. And walking up from below deck is the metaphorical walk of faith. We can let our faith lead us to God for perspective during our troubled times.
Namaste
On a side note, I was awakened around 4:00 this morning to a visual scene playing inside my head of the sky lighting up in beautiful shades of pink. It kept lighting up, like fireworks light up the sky. Not sure what that means, but I am just putting it out there.