👀 Water, water, everywhere

#239 | Songs of the sea

Hi hi,

With 2023 reaching its halfway mark (Tempus fugit, more like tempus wtf), it might be way past the point to talk about New Year’s resolutions. Will this stop me? Of course not.
 
My resolution this year was to form new/better habits. Jury’s still out. My willingness to communicate perceived “weaknesses” has a looong way to go, I am still doomscrolling my time away, and I flout my dietary restrictions more days than I adhere to them.
 
Still, not everything is desolate. I started consciously reading more. I read my first self-help book and, surprisingly didn’t feel like clawing my eyes out. The highlight, however, has been swimming. I try to swim regularly these days, at least 3 times a week, and have been doing so for the past two months (it helps that the pool is 2 minutes away). 
 
I learnt to swim last year at the tender age of 27, and it's like a new world has opened up since. Think Little Mermaid but diametrically opposite - I’ve always been a beach>mountains person.

And why not? Apparently, just looking at a body of water can be immensely beneficial to mental health. I certainly agree.

When I don’t have water to look at or dive into, I like to listen to it. On the days climate crisis is not whipping up off-season storms by my window, Rainymood is a steadfast companion. And I recently came across Islander, a Scottish musical produced in 2019.

That irreproducible feeling of calm tinged with the fear of the unknown that only comes when you’re next to the ocean? The creative geniuses behind Islander somehow distil that in the notes of the musical (or as close as one can get imho).

The original cast recording is not unlike being at sea. I usually focus on words and not sounds, but while Islander has beautiful words and a beautiful story, the sounds are what transport me.

Sometimes, in moments where you feel your tiniest, it helps to remember that, hey, you are, and that’s okay. This is where the water takes me, and how lovely to find art for the moments when water isn’t conveniently around.  

Analina 

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Do you agree that art can recreate the feeling of being near the water? What helps you feel close to the sea?