Embrace the Ocean's Lessons for a Calmer Life
Come summer or winter, you know where to find me—at the beach.
If I have one regret in life, it’s that I didn’t follow my heart and settle closer to the shore. If I could go back to my younger self, I’d shake her shoulders, spray sea salt into her curls, and tell her, “Girl, find a way to live near the ocean—it’s going to be your lifeline. The energy you need to thrive in this hectic game of life is waiting for you there.” I’d whisper, “Be true to what feeds your soul, and act on it, like right now.”
For some, solace is found in cozy cabins or mountain retreats, but for me, it’s always the shore—even if it’s just wading waist-deep in the surf.
I love the sea when it’s rough and wild, and I love it when it’s calm and serene. The ocean’s shifting moods, from azure blues to deep bottle greens, mirror life’s ups and downs. I love scrubbing my feet in wet sand, lying on my towel to watch the clouds, and imagining animal shapes in the sky. I love the smell of coconut oil and the sound of crashing waves.
Once, many summers ago, I learned the ocean’s most important lesson the hard way. It was a school holiday, and although the sun wasn’t shining, I was in the water with friends. One moment, I was standing safely, and the next, I was caught in a rip current. Waves pounded me, pulling me under. I tumbled in the surf, my knees scraping the sand as I rolled. Panic consumed me, I thought. If it weren’t for a random kayaker, my bikini top wouldn’t be the only thing at the bottom of the sea; I also surrendered to my illusions.
The ocean has been around for four billion years. It’s chaotic, but it’s also consistent. It doesn’t care how hard you fight against its pull—you’re not going to win. And maybe you shouldn’t want to. Over time, I’ve come to see that the ocean’s lesson is about letting go. Let go of what holds you back. The ocean reminds us to flow, to trust, and to believe that the currents of life will eventually guide us to calmer waters.
“When you’re in the ocean, no matter what your rank or station is in life, you are not the boss any longer. Your brain slips into a different gear. You’re in the present moment, and it’s a wonderful place to be,” writes Tony Pearce in The Saltwater Cure.
Artists paint it, writers revere it, and blockbuster films—Finding Nemo, Pirates of the Caribbean, Life of Pi—bring it to life on screen. The ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, yet over 80% of it remains unexplored. We owe every other breath we take to its tiny phytoplankton, the invisible providers of oxygen. The ocean’s endless ebb and flow mirrors life’s highs and lows. It’s unpredictable and untamed yet profoundly grounding. And if you let it, it will teach you everything you need to know: to adapt, to let go, and to trust in the rhythm of the waves.
