Out of my Element

 am a waterbaby. I love the ocean. Just looking at it makes everything in my world right again. It's so big, so wild. So glorious. It seems out of control, yet I know God manages the tides, stirs the waves, feeds the creatures of the deep.

Water soothes me. Beginning my vacation by driving down the “scenic coastal highway” (101) was bliss. I would gladly repeat that journey – often! Even at Yosemite, I was far less interested in big, flat rocks than the lakes, rivers, and falls. The few stolen minutes I spent walking on a rocky beach near Malibu were a hilight of my trip. The ferry ride across SanFrancsico Bay to Alcatraz was as much fun as the Alcatraz tour itself. Even at Disneyland, I found waterfun - rowing a canoe around Tom Sawyer's Island.

Leaving all that to go to the desert… UGH. Yesterday was spent driving through the "wide open spaces" made famous in so many westerns. Bright blue skies. Rolling hills. No signs of civilization (except the highway) as far as the eye can see. EW!

I know God made the desert, too. I know there are those – my grandfather among them – who can recognize the majesty of creation in the undisturbed wonder of that land. For me, trying to see it is like trying to make sense of one of those “magic eye” pictures. I know that if I can just get the right angle on it, I might be able to find something, but I am not convinced it’s worth the headache.

I think I’ll stick with water. In the words of one of my favorite songs: “There’s something/about the ocean/that makes me/ rise up in praise.”