WESTERN AUSTRALIA 21°54’52.9”S 113°55’38.6”E
“We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love … and then we return home.”—Australian Aboriginal Proverb
i float motionless at the surface , the small swaying movements of the ocean moving me gently as I relax each muscle in my body. Focusing on letting everything go and finding stillness in this moment before I sink down into the depths of the ocean. My breath is slowing as I find calm. The warm water fills my ears, the lapping sounds drowning out any sound from the outside world. Now, ready to descend, I breathe in deeply, pulling air into my lungs until my chest and belly swell outwards. With one quick motion, I begin my descent into depths, down to the reef below. Finning gently to save energy and oxygen in my body, I descend slowly. The pressure of the water builds up around me; it feels snug, like being wrapped in a cool blanket of water. Instantly the quietness is taken over by the thrum and crackle of activity. The reef is alive. Finning slowly deeper into the blue waters of the Nyinggulu, I arrive at the base of the reef. Aiming to make as little disturbance as possible, I let myself glide quietly over the corals that blanket the sloping sea floor beneath me. Nearby soft corals bend and waggle with the current, while the green and brown tentacles of a nearby anemone dance in the swell. The reef inhabitants weave their way through the underwater landscape going about their daily business, each of them performing their important roles in the eco- system. Cruising over the reef, I bear witness to so much life. Everything seems in its right place. A grey reef shark surveys its domain in the distance, a sting ray rests hidden under a blanket of sand, and a turtle floats motionlessly surrounded by cleaner fish. The earthy tones of the corals, the greens and the browns span the underwater horizon. If you listen carefully, you not only hear the crackle of fish life but also calls of humpback whales singing in the deep. Feeling the need to breathe again, I allow myself to drift upwards towards the light of the surface above. On the ascent, small planktonic organisms pass by my mask, squirming and moving with the ocean currents. Schooling fish in the water column dart around gulping up the nutritious plankton around me. As I kick upwards, the deep blues lighten as the sunbeams shine down from above. Breaking the surface, I expel the air from my lungs, taking a deep breath back in. The new supply of oxygen rushes through me and I’m content in that moment. When I freedive, I feel a heaviness lift from me. Not only because of the loss of gravity, but the feel of the water on skin, the sound of the waves breaking, and the fresh sea air filling the lungs. Like staring into a fire, watching the moving waves and the business of marine life washes away life’s immense pressure.
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MOTHER VOLUME TWO
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