I’ve always found myself drawn to the sea. Perhaps it comes from growing up in the middle of the country and therefore being one of the furthest points, in all directions from it – I don’t know. When the time came to leave home for the first time – I opted for a seaside town for my university studies. Since then – when the time has come to move on from one place to another – I do tend to look for somewhere that I can be close to the sea.
Regardless of the sea state – I find looking at the waves to be a calming influence on my life. I take comfort from their regularity and that of the tide. Whilst freak waves are not unheard of, there is something predictable about the tide and the waves. I can recall my father telling me to count the waves – that the seventh would be the biggest (something I still do now).
Sitting watching and listening to the waves I feel a sense of connectivity with the world – that the oceans interconnect, taking messages with them to all four corners.
The waves provide me with the reassurances that I sometimes seek, act as a messenger between myself and someone else (perhaps a being of this world or of the more than human world. They offer peace, serenity and tranquillity. They can provide the answers that I crave – sometimes to questions I didn’t realise I had.
The above is Playa Uvita in Costa Rica, the waves are those of the Pacific Ocean. It was whilst walking along this beach in September 2019 that I listened to the waves and then made a life changing decision. I no longer wanted to work 9-5 in an office environment. I needed something different for my life. That was the start of the idea for The Eco Monkey and for the sister charity that sits alongside, the Global Wildlife Rescue Project.
Invitation: sit and listen to the waves. I wonder what you’ll hear?
If you feel moved to take this invitation – I invite you to share what you are noticing below.
The Eco Monkey 