In Tones of Grey...

Photosource: Sunshine

There's a picture in your head, a place in you mind where you go to when outside everything is falling apart and you beseech the calm within.
To me it’s the “blue”
Blue Ocean… Blue Skies… Warm Sun
The minute I imagine it, I immediately start feeling the sun's warmth from within and I calm down in a deep breath.
There are technical terms for this practice; some call it finding your centre or your equilibrium… I call it my haven. It's where I find my inner peace and the serenity I need to make and take decisions that are not always clear.
Being a stubborn and passionate Arian, I have the tendency to boil over pretty quickly and make rash and impulsive decisions. Therefore this method has been something I've had to perfect over the years…
At times I substituted the image in my mind with other places I treasure and the people I care about, sometimes the first thought in my head would be “What would dad do…”, “What would James tell me…”
These versions didn't always work and I realized at some point that nothing works better to soothe me down than:
Blue Ocean… Blue Skies… Warm Sun.

On my way to Oeiras yesterday, I dug my nose out my book as we began to pass the coastline to the point where I could see the ocean.
It was Dark… It was Grey… It was Miserable…
And yet, I was surprised that even so, it didn't dampen my spirit.
On arrival, I still had some time to kill before meeting up with my friend and so I found my way to the beach and walked up to the Marina.
Sitting on a rock I contemplated the old saying:
“It can't be sunny all the time”
And even so… My spirit wasn't dampened.
The music coming through my earphones wasn't exactly the most cheerful; it spoke of heartbreak and moving on…
And yet… My heart didn't bleed.
In fact, I was reminded that there's nothing more infectious than a smile…
I was rewarded with the most amazing smiles from those who passed me by.

Closing my eyes to take a deep breath, I found that I already was at my most centered and found it strange that it was so even though I was surrounded by grey skies.
I began thinking that the strength in my method had very little to do with my favourite colour and more to do with the place I seek it:
The Majestic Ocean… The Infinite Sky…
I was almost certain of my theory until I saw a cat on the rocks.
Pitch black, it hopped gracefully from one rock to another.
Grabbing my camera, I couldn't resist chasing it for a photo…
Click!

I smiled and returned to my rock where a fisherman was packing up his backpack.
“Is it your cat?” I asked him.
He shook his head and told me that it was a stray, part of the scenery.
Damn! I knew this meant that if I tried to pet it, it would run away.
As if reading my mind, the fishermen suggested that I go try pet it and so thinking I can nothing to lose and only minor scratches to gain… I slowly gained ground.
Wouldn't you know it!
Not only did she let me pet her, but she purred and rubbed herself on my legs.
There's a lesson to be learnt in this… and this is what I came up with:

No matter how dark and gloomy the skies might be, how rough the ocean can get; the cat knows that behind the grey clouds is a blue sky that soothes the ocean and brings about beautiful days…
The cat knows that there's fish in the ocean and that one of them will fill his stomach, she must just voyage the rocks and find her opportunity.
Sometimes there are people that keep her company, other times she's alone.
She finds her strength and reason to live in knowing that there will always come beautiful days… food in her stomach… and someone to love her.

And that's the secret to life…
To know that there is colour even when it’s covered in tones of grey…
And to find your strength in knowing that no matter how dark things get, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel… always better days waiting… and that no matter the weather, there's always a reason to smile…

As my friend approached me and greeted me with a heartfelt embrace, I realized that I had all the reasons I need to Smile.
No matter the weather, my spirit will always find itself in:
Blue Ocean… Blue Skies… Warm Sun.