Caught Up

I know I'm in this mental space often, and I'm trying to be better about recognising it and taking actionable steps to move through it. Can you relate?

Sometimes you get caught up. In the feel of the moment. In the energy of the surroundings, and with the vibes of the people around you.

You're caught up. You find yourself unfocused. Slipping further and further away from your purpose. Losing sight of what you have been working so hard towards. You've forgotten.

It's like those days you spent at the beach. First, lying on the sand and soaking in the sun. Hopefully catching a tan, but possibly getting burnt. You roll over. And like a pancake, you know it's cooked when it's been flipped on both sides. So you make your way into the cool embrace of the ocean.

You're in the shallow waters. Where the saltiness of the sea kisses the sandy shore, just barely covering your feet. You stand there for a moment and dig your toes into the wet sand, marvelling at how relaxing it feels.

Slowly, you're moving further in. Sucked in by the promise of relief for your sun-kissed skin. The water is up to your knees now. If you wanted to, you could crouch down and feel the coolness on more of your body. But you're still taking it slow, enjoying what you have in this moment.

Further you go, till your shoulders are finally submerged. You're contemplating if this is the right moment to dunk your head under. You're wondering if the taste of the sea is worth it. Before you can finish your thoughts, a wave washes right over your head and you're bathed in the salt without ever dunking your head under.

You're sputtering water out of your mouth and trying to wipe at your eyes. The ocean must have heard your thoughts and made the decision for you. And that's when you felt it.

The sand, no longer beneath your feet and between your toes. You stretch your legs out, trying to regain the footing you had. Your toes have gone tippy, and your calf muscles are straining. Yet you find not footing.

You're in deep waters, using your arms to stay afloat. Kicking your legs so that you don't get sucked under again. All of a sudden, you find yourself disoriented and panicked. You try looking, to find the shore again. Just as another wave forces a mouthful or two of salt in you. You lose sight of shore. You're fairly certain you've just been dragged out even further.

You know you need to find land, to get somewhere your feet can touch solid ground. But you're caught up. Caught in the pull of the magnetic waves. Dragged out further by the once calming sea. At some point, you give yourself over, to the rolling waves and the gentle nips at your entire body.

You calm your breathing and lie back. Allowing your body to float, like a leaf kissing the surface of the water. You spread out your limbs and tilt your head back. You're gazing at the heavens while the sun warms your face. Waves continue to find you, and your body learns to move with the push and the pull. You roll with the tide and drift for as long as you can remember.

At some point, you've forgotten how you got there and what you're doing. There is no beginning and no end, just you and the sea. Have you become one with it? Is there anything else but the waters and its movement? No, it's just you and the rocking of the waves. Nothing else exists. Nothing else matters. You're caught up.

And just as you have given yourself over to the pull of the ocean, so too have you given yourself over to the distractions of life.

That text that has been left on "read" for five days, or that call that dropped and was never finished. That person religiously viewing each and every one of your Instagram stories, but never replying to your DMs. That embarrassing moment that keeps replaying in your head. That slip of the tongue that haunts you day in and day out. You're caught up in the distractions of the world. In things that are human, yet so out of your control. You're caught up in the lie of importance, of instant gratification and entitlement.

You're caught up.

So when are you going to swim back to the shore?