like a ship righting itself

Oftentimes it feels like the world likes to go topsy turvy right as the moment we think the waters are calm, here comes that dreaded and lauded seventh wave, breaking over our bows. And we do all we can do to bail water out, to keep our feet, holding on to whatever rope is nearby and hoping that rope is attached to something stronger than your stomach is feeling at that moment. Your heart is beating a million miles an hour, you can't hear your own voice screaming, everything is in a chamber, your hair is salted, your face weathered and wet, and all you can think about is not the past or the future, just the now.

How you feel in that moment, waters rising, boats sinking, waves crashing, you're losing, or you feel like you are. And in that moment, you're not thinking about your family, or everything that could be your future, or places you could hide from this mess, you are just thinking, "oh shit. i am going to die." what some men would tell you, those salty dogs. Let the ship go down, when it capsizes it will right itself after the seas calms. If you can hang on for that long, if you can persevere, if you got the willpower inside you to fight, to fight for every gulp of air, to find pockets of it in that upside down boat, then you will survive.

Sometimes we have to wait for the pendulum to swing back, to watch things right themselves, to correct. The world does it, science seems to show us that things do it, so if we can stand tall, grit our teeth, out-stubborn the world and time and everything, then we will see the sun come up from the right way, we will see the world back on solid ground. I've only literally kissed the ground twice, both times after horrific plane rides, but those rides were two of the most bloodpumpingheartattack kind of things that I have ever been a part of. Spent half the time cursing, the other half praying, mixing my Lord's name and curses strung together like popcorn decorations at Christmas.

But the ship will right itself, we can push through. Hold on tight to something stable, or at least stable enough, lean on the ones that don't have to lean on someone else, hold your breath, let the bottom become the top, and stay strong, because it's all going to turn itself right back around again.

Kiss the ground, but remember the ride.