tuesday. august 9, 2011

click on image to enlarge

‹› surviving the storm ‹›

"i swear to you men, i've seen her!" said the old sailor. Scrappy by name, who had just been rescued from a lonely island. "Bah! we've all heard of the Great Mermaid, but that's just a seafarer's tale. no one's actually seen her. you're crazy!" they all laughed and shouted at him. 

"no, i'm not crazy!" answered Scrappy. "she even carried me on her back. it was she who left me on that island..." "well, alright" one of the other sailors chuckled, "go ahead, tell us; we could all use a good tall tale." the rest of the men quieted and settled in to hear.

"alright, but you listen well" started Scrappy. "my little ship was caught in a great storm, and i was thrown overboard trying to right her in the waves, just before she started to break apart. i was scared gentlemen, i don't mind telling you. i was thrashing about trying to stay afloat in the turmoil and started to panic, yelling 'save me! help me!somebody help!' even though i knew nobody was around. all of a sudden i heard this soothing voice all around me whispering 'calm down Sir, you must stay calm or you will drown.' well sir, i did just that. and while i was trying to gather my senses, i was lifted up onto the back of this huge mermaid! at first i thought i had lost my mind, but she started swimming with me on her and talked to me the whole time:

"'i am called Thetis' said she. 'you must stay calm in the storms of your life or you shall surely perish.  this storm shall pass, and you shall survive it if you do not panic. relax, and feel yourself carried on the waves of peaceful thought and action. begin to see your life a bit like the Sea ~ even if storms bring battering waves to the surface, deep below in the recesses of your being, there can still be places of serenity and peace... there must be places of serenity and peace for you to survive at times of destructive circumstance. look to yourself for this dear Sir. breathe deeply of your own strength and know that you have the power within to weather any storm. if you know this, they too shall pass and you will find yourself deposited safely on the firmament of your own making which no one can tear asunder. you will find yourself on the strong ground of your heart and soul....'

"...at which point the beautiful Great Mermaid gave a heave to her body and i was thrown right onto the beach of the island on which you found me. and as she swam away, she lifted out of the water and said to me, 'in gratitude to me, share your strength hereafter sailor, and help others to weather the storms."

the other men found for some reason that they believed him, and told the story time and again as they traveled and survived many a storm....

may Thetis' wisdom help us all be calm in the storms of life.

saxz ∞