Sunday Evening Reflection: The Voice of Oceans

Posted byRebecca BuddPosted inClimate Change, Martinique Beach, Nova Scotia, Oceans, Sunday Evening ReflectionTags:, , ,

“It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life. But the sea, though changed in a sinister way, will continue to exist; the threat is rather to life itself.”

Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us

Martinique Beach, Nova Scotia

Tonight, I am remembering traveling the East Petpeswick Rd, in rural Nova Scotia, which leads to the famous Martinique Beach. It was a sunny day in late August, when we climbed a pathway up the hill that led to the beach. The view that greeted us at the top was breathtaking. The beach stretched for 5 kilometres, and the horizon reached the clouds.

And that is when I heard, what I can only describe as the voice of the ocean. Standing where the water touches the sand, I felt the wind and salt water spray touch my face, as I looked far into the distance.

Humanity has a complex relationship with oceans. We are forever connected to the sea even though we may lives miles away from a coastline.

Oceans moderate our climate, supply freshwater and oxygen, and influence the weather. We rely on oceans for food, medicine, transportation, recreation, and inspiration. Our lives are in their care. Perhaps that is why we look towards the horizon and listen for the voice of oceans. As Vincent Van Gogh, wrote: “The heart of man is very much like the sea: it has its storms, its tides, and its depths; it has its pearls too.

Come, walk the beach with me and imagine the smell of the sea and the sounds of the waves coming on shore.

“I am the shore and the ocean, awaiting myself on both sides.”

Dejan Stojanovic

Published by Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

50 thoughts on “Sunday Evening Reflection: The Voice of Oceans”

  1. Oh, my dear Rebecca, it was a great pleasure walking the beach with you. Taking in the scent and sound of the sea is the perfect meditation. Thank you, my dear friend. Wishing you a beautiful week, as fresh and pleasurable as the sea! 🙂 xoxoxoxoxo

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    1. Thank you for joining me on my walk along the beach. Since I was a child, I loved Greek Mythology and still imagine that Okeanos (Oceanus), the primordial Titan god of the great, earth-encircling River Okeanos continues to watch over the oceans, rivers, wells, springs and rain clouds. Sending many hugs across the ocean to you, my dear friend.

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  2. Beautiful blog post! There’s something about the sea (in the Netherlands and Finland we have a sea) that makes one long for adventures. I can certainly understand explorers and adventures who were keen to discover what was out there.

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    1. Humanity’s gift of curiosity has pushed us to explore, to stretch our boundaries, take risk, gain knowledge and in so doing find a way to become wise. (At least that’s the plan) When I look towards the horizon, I know that if I venture out, I will come back forever changed. As Heraclitus noted many centuries ago…
      “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”

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  3. Beautiful and with the right timeless music for it too, Love all the pieces of poetry/prose you have chosen. From this house and the last one we have been been able to see the river. Our last one the view was better and I opened the curtains every morning and sat there having my morning tea just looking. Such peace in knowing this was anew day. This one the view isn’t as good but we are far closer to the mouth of the river as it rolls to the North Sea and we have a wonderful shore line of golden sands, old harbours and …alas now but necessary flood defences. A fav walk of ours is along the shore where some of the first settlements of prehistoric man were here. Always something to think og. Thank you for this lovely post.

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    1. You live in a beautiful place, Shehanne. I remember visiting Dundee a few years ago and standing on a high hill overlooking Dundee and beyond to the ocean and far horizon. One day we will walk those shore line of golden sands and old harbours together. Until then, my dear clansister, I will imagine us have tea and scones at a local tea shop. Sending many hugs!

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      1. Oh, that would be the Law you must have stood on. It is quite a place to stand. We had takeaway coffee the other day down at the old harbour, the sun was shining so brightly I felt I could reach across the river and touch the houses in Tayport. We will indeed walk these shores.

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  4. Dear Clanmother Rebecca,
    what a great post! Beautiful pictures and texts. Thanks for sharing.
    We can see on our coast how many people are alienated from the sea, they litter the beaches and get punished by the sea by getting trapped on sandbanks.
    With big hugs from the sunny Norfolk coast
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
    xxxx

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    1. So glad you enjoyed this post. I find the idea of humanity destroying the ocean rather egotistical as if we could prevail over the very thing that gives us life. The ocean will remain, “the threat is rather to life itself.” I was reading “Even now, when the continents have been mapped and their interiors made accessible by road, river and air, most of the world’s people live no more than 200 miles from the sea and relate closely to it.”https://www.un.org/depts/los/oceans_foundation.htm I agree wholeheartedly- when we are alienated from the sea, we cannot imagine the consequences that will befall us if we do not care or protect the ocean’s life-giving properties. Sending my love and many hugs along with my gratitude to my dear friends, The Fab Four of Cley.

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      1. Dear Clanmother Rebecca,
        we absolutely agree with you. If we destroy life in the oceans, if we let the ocean’s water become more and more acidic and less salty than we will destroy all life on earth.
        Big HUGs and xxx flying from us to you and finest fairy dust as well
        The Fab Four of Cley
        🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

        Liked by 3 people

      2. Thank goodness for Siri and Selma, who spread their marvelous fairy dust on our world, reminding us that there is still hope if we have courage. Lots of hugs to all my dear friends The Fab Four of Cley.

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      3. Dear Clanmother Rebecca,
        yesterday we were looking at your podcasts. We are VERY very impressed. Well done!
        Wishing you all the best, a happy day, sending HUGS and finest fairy dust
        The Fab Four of Cley
        🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Dave for your comments. Rachel Carson once again is a testament to the power of books and writing to envision future states. Perhaps it is because writers reflect, consider and agonize over their writing, which prompts a deeper thinking. Consider that Rachel Carson was born in 1907 and lived until 1964. She wrote her books decades before “climate crisis” became a household word. She was a modern day prophet, alerting us to what was to come. I get goosebumps just thinking about the impact of books!!!

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  6. Thank you for the video and your choice of photos and quotes. Oceans form most of our world and the continents can thank their surrounding waters for the blessings and beauty they bestow. We need to take care of them and I am hoping something can be done worldwide to keep all the pollution away, It seems that humankind feels free to put lots of what it wants to get rid of out in these beautiful waters.

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    1. According to the WWF Canada “The Ocean is in a state of crisis caused by overfishing, poor management and climate change. Thankfully, it’s not too late to return the ocean to a healthier state.” I have been reading the great things about people working together around the world to save our oceans. Everyone can help, even in small ways – everything counts. Our very life depends upon are actions now!!

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      1. YES, YES, we all need to do our part in these endeavors to clean and protect our precious oceans. Our world depends on our efforts to clean and save our oceans. Some of the news we hear is encouraging.

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    1. This is one of my all time favourites, Julie, because of its symbolism. We never know what’s over the hill until we climb to the top. Sometimes we travel a very narrow pathway where there is only room for one. We are not alone for anticipation, expectation and hope are our traveling companions. So glad you joined me on this walk…

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  8. I enjoyed this post a great deal. It reminded me of the trip my husband and I took to Nova Scotia in 2017 to explore the area where my grandmother grew up in Economy Point. Family photos from the turn-of- the-century (19th to 20th!) show the family spent a lot of time at the beach, picnicing, clamming, and wading. The other remembrance the beach photos brought to mind was when I took the day off work last summer to commemorate my late brother’s memory by spending the day with his family at his favorite beach in Rhode Island. Just listening to the voice of that ocean brought such a sense of peace.

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    1. Precious memories, Liz. When I stand on the edge of the ocean, I feel the presence of the infinite, even though I exist in a finite reality. I feel that a sense of belonging that comes when I recognize that I am a part of something ancient, grander, stronger – the story of all who came before and who come after me. “There must be something strangely sacred in salt. It is in our tears and in the sea.” Khalil Gibran

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  9. Something exquisitely wonderful about water, the sea, and its meeting with the shore, Rebecca. There truly is nothing quite as calming as watching the waves rolling and splashing. Yes indeed; your post presented all this and more. As did the wonderful video with that delightful musical selection – so sweet and caressing!
    xoxoxo

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    1. I am delighted that you stopped by Carolyn, and joined me on my ocean walk. We know the sea can be dangerous, but yet, we feel deep felt connection with its grandness. I have been missing your posts. Hope all is well on your side of the world.

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      1. Yes, it’s been a while since I was inspired to post, dear Rebecca. However, I’ve got that sense of ‘stirring’ happening. ha ha…
        And yes, all is exceptionally well downunder. Thank You… 🙂

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  10. Thank you, Rebecca, for bringing to life so vividly, images of my youth as a sailor, thus so the while I write this short note, my attention is drawn to a book shelf in my office, where a picture taken of myself and three of my shipmates, in the city of Balboa, having come through the Panama canal. A recall of so long ago, it is hard to imagine having been so young. Yet the memory’s image of those sea adventures is as clear as the beautiful scenery of your vimeo. You do have a way of pleasantly stirring up memorable life experiences, for which I will always be thankful dear friend!

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    1. You have always and will continue to be an adventurer, Jean-Jacques. It comes through in your poetry and in your enthusiasm for seeing what is over the next hill, around the corner and beyond the clouds. I treasure the gift of memory which allows me to remember, to celebrate, to continue moving forward. Thank you for being a fellow traveler. Sending hugs to you and Marianne.

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    1. I am so glad that you walked the beach with me, Martina. I have been reading a little about the ancient stoics and this quote came to me a few days ago, by Marcs Aurelius – “Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions — not outside.” I thought the idea of “today” was interesting as it seems that escaping anxiety is an ongoing task. Sunday nights have also given me the most anxiety as I contemplated the next day’s responsibilities. And when Monday arrived, everything evolved without my need to worry about it the night before. Hugs coming back with much speed.

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      2. Excuse me Rebecca, if I am disturbing you because I have a question, which is not in connection with what you said here above, but maybe you would be so kind and tell me, whether you really say in English: He is a mistrustful person or she or he acts mistrustfully” I would just say: I mistrust him/her! Thank you very much for your answer. Big hug Martina

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      3. You are on the right track, Martina. I would say mistrust him/her! But you prompted me to look into the idea of mistrust and distrust. They appear the same but there are difference nuances. So I looked it up and found this thought on
        The Grammarist, which had a discussion on these words: “Distrust and mistrust are roughly the same. Both mean (1) lack of trust or (2) to regard without trust. But distrust is often based on experience or reliable information, while mistrust is often a general sense of unease toward someone or something.”https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/73617/whats-the-difference-between-mistrust-and-distrust. Thank you for this excellent question. Have a great day – hugs coming back!

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  12. Your Sunday Evening Reflections usually inspire me most by mid-week 🙂 The calming effect of water and its dance with sky encourages us to think of infinity, as you’ve stated elsewhere. It’s like gazing into the universe except tangible and sensible in ways the heavens aren’t. We have to visualize our planet moving through space, but here we can simply breathe the sky and walk into the water. What a lovely experience to share with us, Rebecca. Now I’m going to walk to the shore of Lake Michigan and feel all these things!

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    1. “But here we simply breathe the sky and walk into the water.” Well said, Mary Jo. Oceans have a deep and sacred mythology for we know intuitively that we owe our existence to its waters. I have just taken out my audiobook on Homer’s The Iliad to listen to in the coming winter months. (Yes – I am already anticipating these precious months of reading.) I love this quote: “…like that star of the waning summer who beyond all stars rises bathed in the ocean stream to glitter in brilliance.” Homer, The Iliad. I’m heading over to walk the shores of Lake Michigan with you. Hugs!

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    1. I am delighted that you stop by, Linda. Your heartwarming comments are very much appreciated. Now, that travel has been momentarily curtailed, I am enjoying going back in time with my photos.

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  14. How very relaxing! Thank you,Rebecca!
    I adore the seas (I’ve seen at least 3).. the oceans (I’ve seen 2), and I always get that feeling …like a future shock.
    I get a similar feeling from the vast prairies…the golden ripe, rolling wheat fields stretch endless as a sea, the sunrises and sunsets lighting their glory.
    The east coast of Canada is a gem. I haven’t seen much, then again Canada is massive, and life is busy. I adore Lunenburg, and the surrounding area. Again, Thank you!

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    1. When I was in Lunenburg several years ago, I stood outside the house that once belonged to a sea captain. The story goes that the wife of the sea captain would look towards the horizon to see if her captain was coming home. As I looked up at the window, I was certain that I saw a movement, a hand pushing aside the curtains, even though, as I understand it, there was no one at home at the time. There are stories that continue to live…. Thank you for joining me on the beach.

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