shores of awareness
written at 00:38 on a moonless night in winter, as red cell's white sharks swam through my head and sleep danced far from reach. one might say i was beached on the shore, unable to return to sea...
Waking up is like washing ashore on an island of awareness... for a time, before you rise, the waves of sleep still lap gently at you, compelling you to return. Sometimes, a larger wave will wash over you, and you'll drift off again, back into that ocean of rest and dreams. Fully awakening means rising temporarily from the sea that gave you birth, and forging a path through the day. If you're lucky, someone else will have been here before, and blazed a trail to guide you. Most days though, you'll have to find your own way. Now and again you'll bump into a fellow wanderer. If you're lucky, they'll help you out. If you aren't, they could be hostile. Most of the time, they'll simply be passing through, and you must decide whether to interact at all. Choose wisely, for it is likely you will never see them again—these beings are transient, and it takes effort to keep them around. If you are truly fortunate, you will have already bonded a few, who now travel with you, sharing in these ephemeral experiences, and supporting each other when an island or chain of islands proves particularly harsh. Cherish these as bretheren and kin, for though your bond with them may now be strong, all things fade with time. One day, you may find that somewhere your paths diverged. Perhaps you drifted slowly apart, not seeing the distance growing between you until they had gone too far to reach. Or perhaps you were ripped from each other by storm or tempest, and despite your best efforts it was simply too hard to hold on. Once you have seperated, it will take tremendous effort to find each other again, and the somber truth is that most never do. So relish these moments together, relish them while you still can. For even if your bonds remain strong, the ocean's pull is inevitable. You must always return to that sea of dreams and rest, drifting quietly through the night. And one day, as you slip back into the water, you will look up and see the retreating light for the last time. Some say you will then experience eternity in an instant, soaring over all the islands you once walked to see how far you've come. However, even eternity will end, and you will sink gently down into the inky deeps of that primordial sea of infinity from whence you came, and to where you will someday be reclaimed.