The Healing Power of Water

Of the four elements, water can be the most elusive. It’s our emotional selves, our intuitive side, and our inner calm and peace. It’s also the one that suffers the most when we ignore it, and in our fast-paced world, water can get out of balance quickly. The problem is that we usually don’t feel it until it’s too late.

Water can also be the most destructive of all the elements, which surprises many people. Too much and we break down and sob uncontrollably, and too little, which is just as bad, leaves us unemotional semi-human automatons who lack compassion and empathy.

The past two weeks in my life had been crazy. I was working long hours to meet a deadline at work, and adding nearly two hours of commute time every day to boot. I worked nearly 18 hours over a holiday weekend and went nearly two weeks without a whole day off. I was tired and irritable, and the only real break I got was the occasional hour in front of my Xbox at night before collapsing into my bed early.

My mini-vacation to the beach couldn’t have come at a better time. I got up Friday morning not really believing that I didn’t have to work. It wasn’t until I got into the car and drove the nearly four hours to Virginia Beach that I started to feel a little bit of water trickle back into my desiccated body.

The first thing I did was throw open the sliding glass door of my beachfront hotel room and just sit there, watching the waves and listening to them crash on the beach. Slowly but surely, I started to relax, and about an hour later I finally had left my old self behind in northern VA.

I kept that sliding glass door open for nearly an entire night—it did get a little cold—just so I could soak up as much of that fantastic, revitalizing energy as I could. It was truly hypnotic.

The next morning, we had more water-related activities in nearby Norfolk, VA, home of the country’s largest port and an enormous naval base. We ended up aboard the USS Wisconsin, a battleship that served in WWII, Korea, and Desert Storm. It was overwhelming. I thought about all those people who made its missions successful, and then remembered that this was their home and their fortress for their long sea trips. I stood in awe as I looked at the guns, which fired shells that weighed more than a Volkswagen beetle more than 20 miles.

After spending several hours there, we went over to the Norfolk Naval Base, only to find out that they cancelled the last tour of the day. While I was a little disappointed, we headed back to VA Beach to check out the statue of Neptune, a huge, imposing figure anchoring the boardwalk. He towers over the people walking by, reminding everyone of his power. He was a sight to behold, and if you ever go to VA Beach, you need to make visiting him a stop on your tour.

By the time Sunday morning had rolled around, I was relaxed and ready for some fun, so we ended our mini-vacation at Busch Gardens. I was all ready for the water rides, but sadly, my personal favorite, the Roman Rapids, was closed for the season. So I pinch-hit with a flume-like ride about Pompeii. I guess Neptune decided I did the right thing, because I was graced with a car all to myself on the ride.

I got back home last night, realizing that I have to make more time for water in my life. I felt so relaxed and at peace, and as much as I’d like to, I can’t count on any one place to be peaceful in. So part of my goal for the next year is to take tranquil with me by being more balanced with water.

As always, thanks to Neptune for the lesson. Considering his fairly regular appearance on this blog, you’d think I’d know by now, but it’s always good to have a reminder. 

Perhaps he can explain to me how a Neptune-ruled city has a law against swearing. Are you fucking kidding me? REALLY?