The Sea and The SKY

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. -Sylvia Plath

The first story I remember writing was entitled “The Sea and The Sky.” My father had gifted me a yellow legal pad, which lines enticed and excited me. I wrote for hours on end about nothing and everything. It’s my earliest writing memory and perhaps my favorite because I wrote with no trepidation. I also loved the topic. I have always been infatuated with water and where the sea meets the sky. From then until now, it’s been a place of peace for me and an endless source of inspiration.

At what point do our childhood dreams fade or dissolve into something different? I still hold the same dreams I did then, and with deep gratitude, several have come true. But the writing dreams, the thirst for adventure and the sense of sincere and deep purpose, have some unchecked boxes and need to be developed.

What is it about fear? When did the the sea and the sky become a fierce storm of apprehension and excuses? Adulthood does this to some of us. We lose our bravery and pontificate priorities. But is it reasonable and responsible to abandon dreams due to age? Are we supposed to lose our wonder and not wander?

I don’t think the answer, like the question, is simple or straightforward. I am dreaming like a child and believe anything is possible. But here’s the thing about the sea and the sky, it’s vast and the tide is always changing.

This writing life isn’t easy and it’s almost always demanding. But like Plath suggested, it’s about guts and imagination. This is the same stuff of childhood and the things most adults need.

We could drown in self doubt or swim into possibilities with elation and hope.

Stories are my dream, but what’s yours? I hope your sea and the sky, if unfinished, gets the attention and opportunity to anchor in awareness.