Waves

Dear Readers,

Imagine one day when you were young, you went into the ocean and big wave came crashing over you.

You didn’t realize how strong the waves were that day, and the rest of your family was on the beach and didn’t know you went in the ocean. You were fairly young and still learning to swim.

This wave overcame you, and you grasped for air. You began to panic and felt like you couldn’t escape it.

You wanted to reach land, but you felt caught in the vast sea. You felt like you couldn’t breathe, and your arms and legs couldn’t keep up with the moving water. You tried to stay afloat but were hanging on by a thread as big waves kept crashing your way.

After a bit of time, you heard your dad calling out for you. He came to save you.

He carried you to land.

After your experience that day, every time you thought of the ocean, your heart sped up and you felt trapped, like you did in the water that day.

You decided to avoid the sea. Sometimes even seeing the ocean would upset you, so you would avoid going to the beach altogether. You didn’t even want to speak about the ocean or what you had experienced.

Your time in the ocean that day robbed you of enjoying the beach for years to come.

Many of us avoid certain places, people, activities, etc. due to past experiences associated with fear.

We often run away from what once scared us.

In some cases, this is a healthy defense mechanism as it is adaptive to stay away from what could threaten our survival.

In other cases, we avoid aspects of life that may not presently cause us any harm and could actually enrich our lives.

It is when we face what we avoid that we begin to eliminate our fears as we realize that in reality, they are often not so scary after all and are safe. Fears may often be irrational.

You worry that if you return to the beach or swim in the ocean, you will drown or think about the time that you almost did.

However, when you do return to the beach and finally decide to go back in the ocean, and you are able to brace the waves and swim, your fear about drowning begins to dissipate.

You may still feel a bit scared, but you have developed the tools to handle your feelings towards the water and have become a more skilled swimmer as well.

Past you was fearful and didn’t want to face the waves, but present you, even if still fearful, can handle them.

You feel stronger now and more experienced.

In order to overcome our fears and past, sometimes we simply to have to face them.

You can’t avoid the beach forever.

You would be proud to know that present you can handle what past you couldn’t.

If it weren’t for that one day and that one wave, you wouldn’t be who or where you are today. You may even be grateful for the ocean for giving you strength.

Love,

Samantha