The Backwaters

 

I went to the backwaters on Friday. 

Heidi The Librarian’s sister, Heather, had chartered us a private boat out of Swansboro 

And the Captain took us out through the backwaters to the back of Bear Island. 

 

I have no idea how he knew where he was going. 

Probably Boat GPS or something fancy. 

But he zoomed around sandbars and sea grasses with such ease, 

Except at one point, the water became too shallow for passage, 

Yet even then, 

The captain simply got out of the boat and gently pushed it rather than using his motors.

 

When we got to the island, we were the only ones there.

The shells were untouched. 

The sand was unmarked. 

There were no Shibumis flapping. 

And there were no families claiming their little piece of beach for the day. 

 

Other than the areas marked as bird nesting areas,

We could freely walk and freely pick up whatever shells we wanted. 

And we could ride on the lazy river, 

A natural current created from the convergence of the ocean waters and the back waters.

 

We put on our lifejackets,

Turned on our backs,

And floated.

We were not worried about the ocean carrying us away. 

We were not worried about the water becoming too deep that we could not touch. 

We were simply floating under the blue, slightly cloudy sky, 

Completely present in those moments, 

Not worrying about the thing in the world. 

 

One of my favorite things to do is to float. 

I can’t float without a flotation device, 

But with a lifejacket or pool noodle,

I can float happily for a very long time.

It’s hard to float in the ocean anymore

Because the waves are so rough and the undercurrent is so dangerous,

Not to mention sharks and stingrays and jellyfish and who knows what other sea creatures lurk near.

So to be able to float—

To be able to be in living water and not worry about being swept under and dying

Was one of the neatest things I’ve done in a long time,

If not ever.

 

As we zoomed through the backwaters

And I felt the breeze blow through my hair, 

I reflected on our time on Bear Island, 

And simply smiled.

I smiled and thought, “I am fully present in this moment, and 

I am happy.

Thanks be to God for this moment

And this indescribable gift. 

 

Amen.