It seems that for Australians, 40-plus degree days are the new 30-pluses. And what better way to escape the heat than throwing myself into cool sea water?
The beach itself is very hot. The sand can literally burn your feet. The occasional hot breeze is a hair dryer pointed at my face. The beach is one giant oven.
The sea is another story altogether. It remains at a cool 20-something. Waves rushs towards me at quasi-regular intervals, pushing me back, as if knocking me down into the salty water is their goal.
The sea is made up of patches of warm and cold water. One minute the water is nice and warm (but not too hot), the next it is freezing cold, sending me off to find a warmer region.
After a while the water soaks up my body heat and I begin to feel cold. As soon as I lift my upper body out of the water though, my back turns quite hot from the sun's radiation. Eventually, it becomes a dilemma -- hot sun or cold water?
It occurred to me that life is a bit like that. There is no such thing as a perfect situation. Every situation has its drawbacks. The decision to make is which set of problems you would rather face.
The waves themselves inspired another analogy. Life throws a lot of obstacles at you. If care is not taken, even the tiniest of them can knock you off your feet. Strategically positioning yourself can minimise that risk, but there is always that 3 metre wave you can do nothing about but brace for impact -- and some salty aftertaste.
The patches of warm and cold water generate yet another idea. In life standing still is not an option, because everything around you is moving. You must constantly be on the move, adapting to changes.
It just happened that the lodge I was staying had an attached swimming pool. The pool has no waves. It does not make sand stick to your skin. It even has steps to let you sit in the water. It seems to be the perfect choice.
How does the pool fit into the life analogy? I wondered. Then I found the answer.
The pool is Heaven. You only get to use it after leaving the beach that is Life.
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