Where the land ends and the sea begins is an area, in some instances, of beach.

Beaches are where the ocean, in tidal rythm, surge on to the land and then, retreat. It is a neither-land. Never staying dry for a full 24 hour, and never staying wet. It is a transition point where some enter for food and some exit for warmth, and give birth.
It is where sand castles are washed away and, in the heat of summer, we lounge, with an occasional dip in the primordial bath.

In us is a "sea". We, like our home, are about 72% water, salty water. We, like the sea, move in ebb and flow.
We change like the sea and, at the same time, stay the same, like the sea.

Where is our beach? Where do we ebb and flow with the world. Do we have a "beach" or are we like a sea wall, or cliffs that reject the seas advance. Or are we an "ocean" in search of a beach?

I think I will go to the beach today.
It would be great to meet you there.

Salty Paul ran a Monterey Hull fishing boat off the West Coast. Heavy set with a broad smile and humor to match. He'd been a sea scout, wrestled in high school, and gone on to receive an advanced degree in mircobiology. Yet the call of the sea won his heart.

Early morning on the big blue. We are sitting on the bow. The water liquid jade and smooth as well oiled glass. The warmly colored sky tinted by the rising sun. No breeze and air as still as the quiet.

Puffins flanked the boat like dark feathered porpoises riding the sturdy boat's wake.

The soft muffled thump of the diesel pushed the bow effortlessly.
Paul brought coffee from the wheel house. No one was steering except "Iron mike".

Iron mike the automatic steering system.

Some days I feel like Iron Mike is with me. Walking down the street I expect to see puffins riding my bow wake.

May puffins ride your bow wake today as Iron Mike moves you through the ocean of life.

What was said?
How can we be heard if the person who is supposed to be listening to us is occupied with what they will say next?
How do we know if people hear what we are saying?
Have you ever had a conversation with someone who you disagree with who insists you agree with them?
You say you disagree, and they say, "Your not listening!".
Whoa! Who needs to be accountable there?

Communication is about knowing our reservations and not letting them color what others tell us. Not to say we have to believe what people tell us but to hear the message.
Hearing the message is about be accountable for asking for clarity if needed.
Unconscious reservations are like being booked on a ocean cruise of uncertainty by a travel agent who hates the ocean.

Being open and clear we communicate more than mere words.

For all those who serve or have served. Thank you
For those of my comrades that fell in the Jungle. I will never forget.
For those that disappeared in Special Ops all over the world. I will remember.
For those in VA Hospitals. I pray.
For those in the Military Service. I support you.
For those who have forgotten their oath to our country and constitution.
I am ashamed for you.
For those who fight for our Freedom, I salute you.
For those who support our soldiers both home and abroad. I admire you.
For those who support Death and Killing and War. I forgive you.
And for you Vets that have not heard this...

"Welcome Home"

Back in the day we would go out on a Friday night. Go to a place for a dinner. Then off to dancing. Sometimes the music would be very fast. We would look at each other and slow ballroom dance.

It took an adjustment to shift to that different speed when all around you are moving fast. Together, moving in rhythm to one out of four beats, we glided..
At some point we were transported to another world. It was as if we were able to stretch time.

Years go by and the memory of slow dancing in the fast lane is as strong as if it were yesterday.
Now, when in the dance of life, it is really special to move in rhythm to one beat out of four. And in that slow dance, see so much, connect with so many, and feel more.
Carry on!