Salve to my Soul

image from coastalliving.com

Don't tell the other guys in this world, but I have been a subscriber to Coastal Living (coastalliving) since its inception. Me, not my wife. She reads it, but it's mine. In case you're not familiar with the publication, it is basically Southern Living for the coast. If you're not familiar with Southern Living, that's OK - this isn't about the magazine. That may appear in the future. This is about something that was written on the tiny spine of a Coastal Living edition from months ago (I keep them all, much to my clutter-destroying wife's chagrin).


I didn't notice the statement quoted on the spine. Do you read that section of the magazines to which you subscribe? I didn't think so. The magazine, like so many other reading materials had made its way to our bathroom. While brushing my teeth one morning, the name "Jimmy Buffett" caught my eye. This is not surprising, given my high-ranking position in the Parrothead army. He was quoted on the spine of the magazine, which had obviously sat complacent on the shelf, dust layering the dreamy ocean-front cover painted in aquas and teals. The quote read, "The ocean has always been a salve to my soul."

I think if Jimmy could reword the quote, he'd use the word "sea" in place of "ocean" just to give more pop to his alliteration (sea-salve-soul). Still, the meaning of the saying scored a direct hit with me. I've always considered my time in the ocean a spiritual renewing of sorts. Just wading up to my waist, arms extended to the sides, palms down, feeling the rise and fall of the waves, puts my soul at ease. The salty coolness, rhythmic motion, and blue-green vastness seem to cleanse me from the inside out.

All of my favorite shore side activities - surfing, fishing, shark-tooth hunting, swimming - are all components of a larger religious ritual to restore my well-being and bring peace and perspective to my chaotic existence. When I finally perch upon the sand and gaze out upon the unending majesty of the ocean, all of my frustrations, troubles, unknowns, both petty and paramount, seem to deflate to their proper place, much lower down the ladder of importance.



image courtesy of
3donlinewallpaper.blogspot.com

Maybe it's simply a peripheral of my escapist mentality, but this restoration makes me a much more pleasant person - more caring, more thoughtful, more cognizant of others, more appreciative of the simpler things, more aware of life on a living planet.



The tune in my head today was Knee Deep , a collaborative effort by the Zac Brown Band and(who else?) Jimmy Buffett. It plays a good backdrop to this post and leads me to believe that I'm not alone in purpose when I break away to the beach. Ahhhhhh.......

Click here for info about the song and a video - http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/weekly-chart-notes-jimmy-buffett-lady-gaga-1005304102.story#/column/chartbeat/weekly-chart-notes-jimmy-buffett-lady-gaga-1005304102.story