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Blogs by Kathleen Valentine
Somewhere Out At Sea Whales Are Singing
12/5/2006 5:36:25 PM
This is a reprint from www.KathleenValentine.com
I am going through a high-stress time right now. This happens periodically, a lot of demands on my time, too much to do in each day. There is the usual pressure of trying to keep up with work in addition to launching two new web projects of my own, promote my book and help Mark with the on-going promotion of his, events in the planning stages and, of course, the coming holidays. I wish I liked the holidays, I used to. The last few years they have just seemed like one more way to suck up time and keep me from working on books and other things I love. So what. Big deal. It’s stress time. Get over it.
At times like this I have a tendency to dream a lot, strange, atmospheric disturbing dreams. Dreams in which I am in a terrified panic over some impending tragedy and then I wake to recall that the tragedy that had me hysterical in the dream was something like burning the mincemeat pie or not being able to find my green velvet jacket. Oh, the horror.
But last night an interesting thing happened. I was having a dream in which all these people were trying to get me to finish things for them — one wanted a knitting project finished, another wanted me to help her with her web site, one and on. But, in the background of all this commotion I could see the surf along Good Harbor Beach and the waves were high and beautiful. There was this one area where the waves were rolling and rolling, cresting up and the most luminous of aquamarine in color with a border of white foam, curling over and crashing, always in different patterns as though it was dancing. I kept watching those waves. People were yelling at me and trying to get my attention but I couldn’t stop looking at those waves. It was beautiful.
I’ve spent a lot of time watching waves, particularly watching the way sunlight plays with waves. The water reflects the blues of the sky and then, when the water rises up and up and up and the sun filters through it, that deep blue becomes translucent and the light through the wave glows the most luscious shade of aquamarine - a perfect word really. “Aqua” — water, “marine” — sea. Seawater. But that lovely, light shimmering flash of pale blue-green that we call aquamarine is only briefly visible in those moments right before the wave crests and rolls over and foams up in a froth of whiteness. And then it returns to the deep blue of the rest of the water. It is fleeting but it is gorgeous.
It is a good reminder, too. That little glimmer of astonishing beauty may be momentary but it is also recurring and just as lovely every time you stop to watch it. And it is worth making tome for.
I love dreams like that. I’ve had them before and it always reassures me that, even though life gets hectic and demanding, there is a tiny core of perfect peace and perfect beauty just waiting for me, offering a brief respite from whatever craziness I’ve gotten myself into.
Some years back I was going through a tough time — changing a job and a relationship at the same time. Not happy. But I had this dream. I was on a ship sailing somewhere and everything was a glowing golden yellow color with purple islands floating in the distance. And a pod of humpback whales were playing in the waves and you could hear them singing, that wonderful, mysterious song that humpbacks have. It reminded me that while I was going through my own personal drama, somewhere out at sea there were whales singing. That is a thing worth remembering.
Thanks for reading.
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More Blogs by Kathleen Valentine
• Somewhere Out At Sea Whales Are Singing - Tuesday, December 05, 2006
• Show Don't Tell - Friday, December 01, 2006
• Four Days at the Page - Monday, November 27, 2006
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