from my cruise journal…
The ship is now moving gently through the ocean. It’s really something to look outside and see the ocean stretching forever and ever until it touches the sky. The clouds hang downward and a bit of blueness shines through. It is what Ishmael and Queequeg saw, although they were much farther north. Captain Ahab’s ship sailed from somewhere in Massachusetts. I forget where. The boat that the old fisherman sailed from (“The Old Man and the Sea”) was in similar waters. He was looking for marlin and for his soul.
I remember reading that, when astronauts view the earth from space, they see a big blue globe. The only manmade thing that is visible from space is the Great Wall of China. Other than that, the earth is a beautiful blue gem. I feel joy just thinking about the beautiful blue gem and sadness thinking about how poorly humans are taking care of their home, their planet, the earth thy should love more than anything else.
I am happy that I am here, watching the sea, wondering about the sea creatures that live beneath its surface: the fish of all colors and sizes and the bottom dwellers, the plants, and the coral… And I am full of amazement because the world of the sea is completely unknown to me. It’s something that fills my imagination with a sense of wonder, and I feel happy because I know that I really haven’t lost that sense of wonder, that feeling that the world shows new sides of itself every day.
Life is good. I am in a place that I need to be. I am in the right place at the right time.
So, I sit here and look toward the sea and I think of how big it is and how the whitecaps form and subside. I think about the picture book that I am planning to write about Bearnacle Bear, the seafaring bear. That now, I can draw the limitless sea, because I have seen it, and it is beautiful, magical, and it carries the stories of generations of sailors.
I feel as if I’m there with you, looking out the portholes and seeing the ocean. I’ve been fortunate having been on 5 cruises. Thanks for bringing the memories back.
If you look carefully you may see some of that garbage that finds its way into the sea. it is denser near the coast and ports but It is there everywhere.