Life on the Edge

What you're looking at is what I had to look at before heading into the water for day 148 of my six month ritual of swimming at Roaring Beach everyday. With such a strong wind and squalls of rain blowing in, it was hard to take a decent photo, but I hope you get some idea of the mood of the ocean. Yes, somedays are better than others. And, this was one of them. To quote Thoreau: "In wildness is the preservation of the world". Today could not have been wilder with hugh surf pounding into the shore and gale force winds hammering anything exposed out of the water. Odd thing is that I'm finding this sort of day not as dangerous as less wild days because the surf rolling in is so big that it is almost impossible to get past about the forth or fifth break. One just gets pushed back into shore. The rips carry me out just so far before a six foot wall of white foam takes me in the opposite direction. Exhilerating is too soft a word to describe the emotion that sweeps over the person out in this water. Funny that I'm always alone. I don't know about preserving the world, but I do know that after today's swim my sanity has been preserved for a few more days. So, come at me again Bush, Blair and Howard with your depressing, stupid ideas of war. I'm feeling more peaceful than ever and more willing than ever to keep on marching for peace.