Sun, sea and sounds....

I am clinging on with white knuckles in a desperate attempt to hold myself together before I escape on Thursday. I feel as if my body is in melt down, I am crumbling from the pressure and emotion of the last few months. There is something about knowing that you are about to break free, the adrenalin supply is cut and the exhaustion sets in. I am nearly there and I cannot wait.

I am going to clear my mind of lies and bombs, I am spending 2 weeks in my own personal cathedral. There are two constant deities which have seen me through the highs and lows of my life, on Thursday I am flying to the land where they come together. The Caribbean, a world of strumming islands where reggae music dances off the waves of the ocean. This age old cocktail is one which has comforted and inspired me throughout my many years, and I am hoping that this trip will not be an exception.

I spent idyllic times as a young child living in a hut blessed with a garden of white sand and turquoise ocean. The soundtrack of my life has been a pulsing spirit of reggae rhythms which were absorbed by my body and soul at a tender age. It has ingrained itself in my heart and mind and has never left me to this day.

My dad taught me to sail as soon as I could walk. As well as learning the ways of the wind and tides I have found my place within the mix of universal elements. There is no greater freedom than putting yourself at their mercy. I was captain of my own ship (which closely resembled a bathtub) from the tender age of 8. I knew independence and danger that others only discover when they learn to drive. I was never more at home than in my little tub heading out to sea, trying to scare myself by reaching the horizon.

I have never managed to achieve this, I have never felt fear of the sea. It is a living breathing element which is greater than the might of the human world. You cannot fight it, you have to learn to know and trust it, throw yourself at its mercy and steer your vessel along the course if it’s choosing. As soon as you resist this power you have lost. The ocean is your master and you must treat it with the respect it deserves. If ever your confidence grows disproportionately it will knock you down, set you in your place and teach you again to be humble to its force.

I am going to ride those waves, soak up that sun and move to those melodies late into the night………till then, stay warm!