Some Days You Feel Like the Ocean

"Some days you will feel like the ocean. Some days you will feel like you are drowning in it." - Lora Mathis

Aren’t there moments when this is absolutely true — we feel like the ocean! Powerful. Strong. Unstoppable. Floating easily with contentment and joy, excitement and hope. And then there exist the moments we feel the complete opposite of that. Small. Overwhelmed. Weary. Bogged down by life, by hardship, by pain — unable to catch our breath.

There are times that living is akin to stumbling in the chaos.

Actually, instead of the ocean, life feels more like the wilderness to me. There are times that living is akin to stumbling in the chaos. It’s a wandering that leaves me dejected and shivering in fear. There are animal attacks. There are brambles and underbrush that tear at my clothes and skin. There are poisonous berries waiting to be eaten.

But in the forest, there are also moments when I’m buoyed by hope. A friend reaches out and is a comfort in the darkness. Someone tenderly reminds me I am not alone. I see a clear path ahead and the dapple of sunlight through the trees. There’s a blueberry patch just a few steps further up the trail.

Life on earth is wild.

Maybe to you, living is another nature metaphor altogether. A mountain. A cave. A desert. A puddle. Whatever your image, my guess is there’s both beauty and struggle involved.

So, life on earth is wild. Unpredictable. Chaotic. Uncertain. But we are not alone. There are others who journey beside us. Hope resides in the darkest of places, on the hardest of days, in the saddest of moments.

Hope resides in the darkest of places, on the hardest of days, in the saddest of moments.

If you need help sifting through the messiness of life, Sage Hill is here to help. Call today: 615-499-5453

About the author: Heather James is a therapist at Sage Hill Counseling in Nashville, Tennessee. She earned her masters in human development counseling from Vanderbilt University. Heather is active in homeschooling and keeping a busy family of six from falling apart. She serves on the vestry of St. Bartholomew’s Church and is an avid reader as well as a thoughtful, gifted writer.