This is about meeting fears.

It’s about seeing how one thing reflects every thing, and what the air and the ocean can teach us about ourselves, and our life.

Costa Rica called.

The beaches, the sun, the spectacular scenery. We packed up our stuff, re-arranged our work schedules, and went. Flip flops, bathing suits, straw sun hats. Hiking boots, rain gear, and merino wool socks. One thing: I’m pretty petrified to fly. While in the air, I’m in a constant process of mind observation, deep breathing, and actively transforming fear-based thoughts. And I see how flying is a microcosm of the macrocosm of my life. The way we do one thing is the way we do anything.

Universal Symbols

And learnings are universal. There are symbols and metaphors everywhere. Especially in the air and the ocean.

What The Air and Ocean Can Teach us About Ourselves

1. Turbulence passes. The bumps and jiggles that wobble a plane–and us–are never forever. The tough times pass. 2. It’s never as bad as I imagine. When the pilot comes on to tell us to strap back in because turbulence is coming up, I imagine huge drops and dips. What we actually experience is usually a little wiggling. The mind can make things worse than they really are. 3. The plane’s not being pushed off-course. When we watch a plane take off or land, it appears smooth and graceful, arcing easily through the clouds and sky. But being inside it during these times can feel near-earthquake. On this trip I consciously stopped looking and seeing the inside of the plane; instead, I imagined what it would look like to an observer watching us fly. When we take a step back out of fear and worry, we see the confidence-boosting reality of our bigger picture. 4. Jumping in. In the ocean, with the waves rising up taller than our heads, I wondered if I’d get dunked. Instead, we jumped to meet them, riding the crest until it had passed–and we were set back down on the ocean floor, actually further ahead than we had been before. Diving in instead of resisting always gets us further ahead. 5. Diving beneath. Our other option was to dive underneath the crest of the wave. It passed over top, and we popped out the other side. When life gives us waves, going deeper into them gets us through.