Out to sea

I watched a video of an Extreme Surfer about five years ago.  He caught waves on sandbars in the middle of the ocean and rode them for an exceptionally long-time.  He was talking about what he does when he falls in to a wave.  In short: nothing.  No flailing or struggling.  The only thing to do is to relax and let the wave drag him towards the shore.  This image has returned to me when I have faced difficult times--my Dad's cancer diagnosis, our previous job search and move to Canada.
Sometimes the situation is so overwhelming that there is nothing one can do but hold one's breath and wait to hit the shore.  That takes faith.

The difficulty though...we aren't necessarily sure we are oriented towards the shore.  When people say this time is unprecedented they are saying we might be heading out to sea in ways that we aren't quite able to imagine.


When I feel "out to sea"  I try to control things.  I crave decisive action, and yet I have found that at these times decisive action might not necessarily be particularly helpful (too often it is just flailing against the waves and taking in water).

Another image that comes to my mind is the bank run scene in "It's a Wonderful Life."  The people are panicking and seeking out certain action and immediate cash payments.  Old Man Potter is poised and ready to snap everything up.  George Bailey has the clarity to see that "the people are panicking but Potter isn't" and to implore people to think out of their values and not from their fear.

What is necessary now was also necessary before covid-19.  Our values and morals were made to serve us at precisely such a time as this.  This is a time to live deeply into our commitment to the value of each life, to the dignity of working people, to the realization that the economy serves humanity and not vice-versa.

The Old Man Potters are not losing their heads.  Jeff Bezos and other are chopping up every inch of this world that they can get their hands on right now.

The Bible continually reminds us "Don't be Afraid."  This message spoken by Angels, or God, or weary prophets is one of the most significant and persistent divine words.  Easier said than done.  And yet, thankfully Scripture also reminds us again and again that the opposite of fear is love.  Fear drives us to forget what we truly and most deeply value.  Fear can lead us to destroy what we are trying so desperately to protect.  What does relaxing into the wave look like today?  Well, it is not doing nothing.  It is doing what is essential.  Breathing in the surfer example.  Staying open one more day in the case of George Bailey.  And for me?

Remembering what I love.

What do you love?   Love that today.  Love it deeply.  Love it for itself.  Find in that love the courage necessary for today.  Just today.