I have always struggled with the idea of destiny and purpose. For many years, I felt it was absolutely vital to pursue a destiny which would have the best possible outcome for as many people as possible. I spent countless hours educating myself, absorbing as much knowledge/wisdom as possible. No doubt, the positive effect of learning how to think critically and analytically continues to fulfill me and my loved ones with many useful benefits. Knowing how to navigate the caverns of the mind and heart is critical to personal and communal prosperity.

My destiny and my purpose broke with the ocean waves. Upon arriving at the beach, I was immediately overcome with awe. The smell and sight of the Ocean waves crashing on the shore shook me. The sensation of the sand under my feet and the water moving back and forth against my shins hinted at something I could not quite manifest with words. As I went deeper, a profound realization hit me with the force of the first wave. The Ocean waves do not care about my purpose, nor does the sand, or the sun. I immediately found comfort and peace in the truth that nature is not interested in any pursuit which is born of my ego. I became a purely physical being, a piece of floating wood in the water, unable to change the force and direction of its currents. The spirit which now moved me was pronounced by the inertia of the Ocean water. My soul was no longer in my body, but all around me, engulfing me.

Hours went by as I struggled to surf my first wave, my skin burnt, my eyes stung, the skin on my knees eroded away with each unsuccessful attempt to become one with one of nature's most powerful expressions of life, power, and movement. Even attempting to lie still on the surf board was challenging at first, but slowly, I began to let go of everything I thought I knew. My body began to harmonize with the rhythm of the Ocean. The Ocean water washes away your past and future, your anxiety, depression, apprehensions, goals and aspirations. You cease to think completely. Your body stops trying to control a force which is beyond it, and as the hours turn into a single moment, you ride your first wave, completely free. There are no start and finish lines, there are no alarm clocks, meetings, or deadlines, there is no destiny, nor purpose, nor identity. The Ocean does not stop for anyone. You stop fighting and defining. Your ego dies and you become completely one with nature, and it all comes crashing back to you. You are here to have fun, to experience the joy of the inertia inherent in all living expressions.

When the sun set, I laid my head down to sleep and closed my eyes. All I could see was big blue vibrant waves in my mind's eye. Even though I had left the water, the rhythm and color was still there, the harmony and music remained. I fell asleep staring into the Ocean in the darkness of my mind's eye, drifting off into a comfortable and refreshing sleep with a prevailing thought which washed away my destiny and purpose. Tomorrow is another day to have fun in the surf.

~Experience is the currency of the soul.