"I must go down to the seas again..."

"I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life"

John Masefield – I have always loved your poem

I have always been attracted to water – any water – the sea – a fountain – a waterfall. I find peace when I can hear water. One of my favourite animals is a dolphin. I would love to swim with the dolphins. I was once told by a mystical man – many years my junior that we had swum with dolphins many centuries ago.

As we go through life we experience periods of peace and periods of turmoil. Sometimes the peace is so still and lasts so long that we may find ourselves wanting some excitement. Sometimes the turmoil is so intense and life changing that it seems to swallow our entire being. At times like this I long for the sound, smell and sight of water. I think this was what called to me on Deck 6 – the total absence of the foibles of humanity together with the peace that water brings to me.

Life is whirling around me – I get the feeling that I am not in control – a puppeteer is manipulating me – teasing me with tempting morsels which get snatched away as soon as my eyes pick up their allure. As the morsel is snatched away a huge obstacle is placed in front of me but the puppeteer amuses himself by making it impossible for me to overcome it – it swells in size as I approach it, threatening to envelop me completely.

I cry: "Bring the soothing sounds of water to help diminish these obstacles from my path. Let me play with dolphins and forget the problems that threaten to destroy my equanimity."