I woke up this morning by chance. It was nothing I did but a blessing from the universe that has allowed me to see the sun and feel its warmth. Nobody has called and checked on me. Nobody has asked about my well-being. It is the way of the world to move at a pace that disregards life. I have come to expect nothing more from it. I have instead invested my love and care into myself. I am responsible for my happiness and no one else.
To that end, I visited the ocean and had my first pier fishing experience. Throughout the night, I saw and met some fascinating people. I drove from my home in Stem, NC, at 7 PM and arrived in Surf City, NC, around 10 PM. It was a lot of back road driving!
The experience was enjoyable and peaceful. I met an older couple with a girl about seven to ten who talked the entire time I was there. Asking questions and just being a child. Every moment excited her! I could not help but think about the little one I know that would enjoy it just as much. When she was not talking, she was singing. She had the voice of someone much older than herself. She would go from this kiddie-little girl voice to a voice that put you in the mind of Jasmine Sullivan. To my left was a couple from Lumberton, NC. The wife was of Asian descent, and the husband was a Lumbee(Native American). They both had the most intriguing accents/dialect. I just enjoyed listening to them talk with each other. It was like a mix of Black, White, Asian, and Lumbee. Then there was a group of three friends from Cincinnati, Ohio. Their story was the most interesting of all and the most enlightening. These three friends decided they wanted to go fishing and drove 10 hours from Ohio to the coast of North Carolina. The young man I spoke with said matter-a-factly, "yeah, we drove down today and going back tonight." Our fishing lines crossed the entire night, so we talked quite a bit. They also used my scissors to cut up squid.
Life on the pier is fun. Everyone gets excited when someone catches something. Folks are ready and willing to help someone in need. It's a place that makes me feel human and respected. It's a place where I can close my eyes, meditate, and feel close to nature. Through all my time there, I learned that you should carve out time to be alive, and I have my knife ready.
My Thoughts: Give
more attention to life and less attention to things that don't give you life.