The inexorable march of a king tide this past Boxing Day is worth a blog entry. On normal tides there will always be at least ten or twenty feet of dry ground above the high water mark, before you hit the edge of the blackberry bushes, the scrub alder and the wild rose tangles. Over time a pathway has been tread into the sea grass and between drift logs, making for a gentle amble up and down the beach. On this day, however, the tide cleared hundred foot logs off the shoreline, flooded the beach pathway and made an easy walk down the shoreline impossible. It’s a strange site to see no beach in either direction and it deepens my appreciation for the power of the Salish Sea.
It also makes me consider the many things in life that we push and pull trying to move them out of our way or into a more advantageous position. At the time it feels like the battle is the most important thing in your life, but in fact it is no more practical than trying to change the slow and steady progress of the tide. There is an important lesson in these immotile objects that pock mark our life. With experience we learn which objects will budge and whether they are worth the energy required to move them. We also learn that it may be easier to simply travel around the obstacle rather than try and push through it. It may require more time or extra effort to travel around the obstacle, but it might also create a more fulfilling and enjoyable journey that saves you from the blood and bruises that accompany bashing away at an immovable object. I wish I had learned this lesson in my thirties.