choppy seas

Today I escaped from Alcatraz. It's the infamous prison island in the San Francisco Bay. It's surrounded by cold waters with strong currents and various 'wildlife' (that's open water swimmer code for sharks!) that might threaten any escape attempt. Today I succeeded in an escape, in spite of very choppy seas. Our guide was Gary - or Mr Alcatraz as he has become know as he has swam this stretch of water over 700 times. After the swim, he told us that the sea was very choppy and if this was any official swim event, then it would have been canceled due to the poor conditions, but because we were well used to the cold temperatures, and were looking strong and steady in the choppy waters, he let us continue.

And it occurs to me that that's a bit like life. I am often in 'choppy' situations, when every time I lift my head up to breath, the only thing I can see is another wave coming towards me. Or when I think it has passed, another one takes me by surprise. Occasionally I get a whole mouthful of water, that puts me off my stroke, and makes me wonder if the guy on the safety boat is even watching as I struggle to continue. But he is. Somehow he sees a strength in my stroke that I don't recognise, and he lets me continue to the finish line, which he sees so much clearer than me.

And recently it's seemed like my life has been more choppy waters than calm seas, but maybe by accepting that fact, we are calmer and stronger in facing the waves that inevitably come. Maybe acknowledging that life will be full of struggles and challenges is the first and biggest step in dealing with them. And knowing that the guy in the safety boat IS most definitely watching gives me a peace that means I don't need to be able to see the finish point all the time. Sometimes I only get glimpses of it, as a wave momentarily subsides, but it is always in his view. And I can trust him.