I go down to the sea most days.
Lately I am gathering photos of the sea's surface. The precious sea. There is no horizon in these photos* (which I take to mean no distracted looking beyond; beyond this moment). This sea, has my focus. I have sea's focus. Water is reflective, so it is interesting for me to notice these reflective metaphors.
I wake up and as soon as I have surfaced (!) the sea is the first pull. Undertow. Undercurrent. Rip.
I got swept out on a rip tide once. I had been surfing and leant my board to a friend: "Have fun!" I said, as I began walking back to the shore. Suddenly the force of the current lifted me out of my depth. I am a strong swimmer but the sea was stronger. There were surfers only a few metres away who were safe up on their boards and easily paddled away.
A kayaker went past. Was I okay. I felt embarrassed that so quickly I was in danger. I laughed, and said something such as: "a bit wild today isn't it". Why did I feel embarrassed? I don't know. I hope you don't mind me being so honest with you. I obviously feared others would think me daft. I struggled for more than 40 minutes to try to get back in my depth. I was becoming more and more exhausted, and then suddenly I remembered: best to go across, or even with, the current - not to struggle against it.
Alan Watts speaking of Zen says, that if you go with the flow you have all that power with you.
So now I focus on the sea. The honest sea. Not on my own freaky horizon thoughts of whether I will come across as daft and get swept away by that. Here is the sea. The precious sea. The powerful sea. Make of it what you will.
Alan Watts A lecture in Zen zen
* Vija Celmins famously made some graphites of the sea without horizon, and this I think, is an homage to her work.
Synonyms for surface
exterior, face, outside, shell, skin, veneer
Words Related to surface
facade, front, top, cover, covering, facing, appearance, disguise, guise, mask, semblance, show
Antonyms for surface
inside, interior