We are each mesmerized by our ability to create our ‘little wave’ that strives to reach out from the vast limitless Ocean. This is a story of that striving…

As the newly birthed little wave laps up and away from the vast limitless ocean, it cries out excitedly: 

“Look at me!”

Once crested, it reaches a surprising still-point, only to realize:

“Oh no, it was merely a temporary form, for I’m now crashing back into Source, the vast limitless ocean!”  

At full speed it collapses, gravity pulling it inevitably and destructively downward, smashing the little wave back into the vast limitless ocean; its false identity lost. It is unique no more for it has merged back into Oneness. 

But there is potential for it to rise up again taking a new life, a new form, once again seeing if, 

“Maybe this time I can be even bigger, perhaps as big as the entire ocean and then I won’t be swallowed up again.”  

The little wave begins to build momentum, to churn, to strive, convincing itself, 

“If I just work a little bit harder, if I just get it more perfect, like the Source that birthed me, I can be a tsunami wave, so big, the entire Earth will see me.”

You’ll notice, dear reader, that the little wave was driven to ‘be seen,’ to be ‘recognized,’ for others to ‘witness’ it, to ‘create’ outside the Source (or so it believed), and to be bold, brash and fast. 

Then the convincing thought came,  

“I can do these things so quickly that Source won’t even take notice!” 

But alas, Source does know about this little wave. For Source is this very wave itself. For ALL things are within the vast limitless ocean which loves this little wave so very much, for it is dear and near to the ocean. Because of this love, Source allows the little wave to dream big dreams, to explore, to try again and again and again, each time manifesting form, striving to peak even taller as it extends with tremendous effort away from the ocean. 

And so, reaching a ten-foot peak, the little wave tries in vain to touch the sky, only to fall rapidly downward, crashing back into the vast limitless ocean, it’s Source. 

“I’ll do it again, this time even bigger!”

The little wave exclaims with renewed fervor while manifesting a wave-form with a white foamy top. The little wave uses tremendous effort to build up critical mass and stretches with great strain upward, 

“Come on, just a little further, I know I can touch the sky!”

It has even broken a personal best, twenty feet high at its crest! But the familiar still-point comes where the little wave has reached its peak, and then that dreaded recognition, 

“Even at this height, with all this effort, all this dreaming of doing ‘all by myself’ it’s over, no matter what I conceive and do, it always comes to the inevitable crashing down into Source, the vast limitless ocean. 

After so many failed attempts, the little wave had a new thought, 

“What if I try another way? What if there is a new approach to this? What if I stop and ask myself, ‘why do I even desire to create a form, so big it will be seen and heard around the world? Why do I want to put in FULL exhausting effort to even attempt to separate from the vast limitless ocean that is my safe, comfortable, loving home?’”

The answer came surprisingly quickly from a very loud and self-assured voice somewhere within the little wave, 

“Why? Well, it’s simple, really. You do it for the following reasons: For the insatiable need to be recognized by the powerful vast limitless ocean; for the driven desire to stand apart from all the other waves in the hope they will marvel at what you, the littlest of wave, is doing, achieving, striving, earning, ‘all by itself,’ without help from the ocean or help from the other waves. And you do it to show that it is possible for one wave to break out of its bondage to enjoy the freedom of expression!”

But the little wave wasn’t convinced by this explanation. For the little wave realized that it’s desire to be the biggest wave and touch the sky, although fulfilled for a brief time, ALWAYS produced the same result: the forces of gravity successfully pulled it back downward into the vast limitless ocean. In fact, the higher the little wave manifested itself, the more violent was the little wave’s destructive crash back into the vast limitless ocean.  

… after a very, very long pause spanning perhaps hundreds of years, a quiet, loving voice springing from deep inside the little wave spoke in a gentle whisper,

“Maybe this desire is not serving me. Maybe the idea of touching the sky, sucking up the entire ocean to bring all the resources to realize my dream, is not possible. Maybe this impossibility is forcing me to reconsider the intent of my dream that will always inevitably fail. Maybe I need to stop a little while and try something else. Maybe I need to turn my external efforts of being ‘seen,’ recognized and independent from Source, inward and put the extreme effort of doing into merely asking myself ‘why this desire?'”

The little wave began the process of asking itself these questions: 

“Where does the desire to make a huge wave that is seen by all come from?” 

“What is the source of this need to be ‘free’?” 

The little wave took several more millennia to ponder these questions … 

When an answer didn’t immediately come, the little wave tried different ways to find the answer. Now the effort and the striving was no longer about becoming the biggest wave and touching the sky, for this seemed fruitless to the little wave. Now all the little wave’s efforts were in finding the answer to the persistent question, “Why?” 

The little wave began searching everywhere, asking everyone, 

“Do you know why I wanted to become such a big wave?”

No answer. 

The little wave even went out across the vast limitless ocean to meet with what it heard was the current tallest wave. The little wave earnestly believed, 

“If I move very fast with full effort, I can reach this tall wave before it inevitably breaks and I can ask the tallest wave my question!”

The little wave felt oddly fulfilled by this new quest. With full momentum and a drive that was unstoppable, the little wave was fully convinced that it was going to do it. It was going to reach far distances to meet with this wise, huge wave who had accomplished more height than the little wave. The answer MUST be with this wave! 

After much time, the little wave successfully reached the massive wave. It hovered at its base admiring this thirty-three-foot tower of water, 

“Wow! You are doing it!” 

The little wave encouraged, 

“Just a little further to go, then maybe you can reach the sky!” 

The little wave felt happy by this bigger wave’s accomplishment. 

This was a brand new experience for the little wave; to feel that something outside of itself actually was the same as the feeling for oneself. 

“My, this is different.” 

 The little wave pondered,  

“I don’t seem to need to put in the tremendous effort to be the largest wave anymore because I’m very content and happy ‘recognizing,’ ‘seeing,‘ and ‘witnessing’ this big wave fulfill my dream!” 

What a strange, unexpected, happy feeling the little wave experienced. Its desire to go ask the big wave the answer to the question, “Why? Why do I seek to touch the sky and to be recognized and to be apart from the vast limitless ocean?” That need to have the answer to this question simply fizzled as the little wave watched the huge wave crash inevitably down into the vast ocean; it’s temporary form and identity, gone forever. 

But the little wave felt another new feeling arise, hope.

By being the witness to another’s similar striving, the little wave felt empathy and compassion, as though it too had experienced all that this big wave had done. Because the little wave had traveled a similar striving path to be the biggest and to touch the sky, it knew and appreciated the big wave. It felt at one with the big wave and in a way, had merged with this wave. 

“Hmmm, this is an interesting way to feel and to think!” 

The little wave set out to watch other big waves, and each time the little wave felt the same shared, Oneness feeling. In fact, this feeling was growing and building its own inner momentum without the little wave even trying or doing anything. 

After some time passed, the little wave was not so little anymore. It was growing into a bigger wave without effort, no striving to be big, no desire to be seen, just by merely appreciating the other big waves. Just by feeling compassion for their existence, the little wave was becoming HUGE! It was absorbing all the fallen big waves, becoming merged with them as the witness to their experience. This happened automatically. As it was inevitable that the striving waves would all peak and destructively crash into the ocean, this growing of the little wave was also becoming inevitable. However, instead of the growing being effortful and disappointing, this growing was effortless and filled with hope and contentment. 

“How strange and unexpected!”  

The little wave pondered at its current huge size. 

********************************************

And so my dear reader, time passed as it surely does.  

Then, on one ordinary day, the quite extraordinary happened. 

The little wave noticed that there were no more waves to be watched. In fact, there was no-thing, just one big wave. Surprisingly, this huge wave was aware of itself for it could see that it had no peak, no crescendo, no movement at all. In fact, the ‘no-thing’ wave saw that everything around it was completely still. 

All was complete, all was the vast limitless ocean. The little wave felt no desire for movement, no desire for forms to be manifested, no desire for anything to be created. All was still and perfectly content. The little wave looked up to the big, blue sky. There was no longer the aching desire to touch it. The little wave was surprised that the once-powerful, all-consuming longing was no more. 

Then a remarkable realization occurred. In a flash, it occurred to the little wave, 

“Wait a minute! The blue sky is already touching me!” 

The little wave, in its stopping and in its still-point filled with awe and peace, realized a profound Truth; 

“The blue sky has been touching me all along! There was never a need to seek for it!”

The little wave smiled, content that it need not strive for anything for all its desires were already fulfilled. All it had to do was stop and take notice.  

This, my dear reader, is the end of this simple story. 

But take heart, for it is just the beginning of a much more important one; for that story is your very own.