Longing for the sea…
Am re-reading a book I read a decade or so ago, and came across this verse of poetry quoted in one of the later chapters. It somehow caught my attention today, so I am going to type it out here, along with this photo of my son Jon and a friend sailing in Wisconsin. Not the sea, but in the open waters outside the safety of the bay where I sat with my camera…
I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me –
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me, and I shrank from its disillusionment,
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life
And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one’s life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire –
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.
[Edgar Lee Masters]
fourfeetsixinches 
I definitely have more regrets about the things I did not do than those I wish I had not done. thanks, Don
I too struggle with some of the choices I’ve made and will always wonder “what if……?” My reflections of my past make me hunger for a more meaningful and memorable future with friends and family! Thank you for your insightful blogs! Much appreciated!
your pic reminds me of dave and scott on the sailboat in saginaw bay…great memories! 😉
The mystery of the sea beating it’s immortal call to Seamen and shore dwellers.”water,water everywhere and not a drop to drink” (something like that) ……..so – -tis better to be sickenened by the sea than never to have been seasick at all?