Following the storm, shipwreck laid bare.
Backstory
Photo: USGS. The presumed remains of the Bessie White, a wrecked schooner long buried under Fire Island's dunes, exposed on the beach following Hurricane Sandy.Read more at http://www.enstarz.com/articles/9419/20121116/sandy-exposes-ship-fire-island-shipwreck-uncovered-near-long-island.htm#eLcsR0EOcTiXE04u.99
I saw this report on the morning news, and I thought immediately, "how like human interaction this is." Hurricane Sandy slammed Fire Island and shifted the sand dunes 75 feet, leaving the carcass of this old schooner naked and raw in the open air when the sun returned.
How perfectly this epitomizes the breakdown of relationships. The bluster and blow that swirls around us, battering and eroding our defenses, shifts all our protections away and leaves us naked, broken, vulnerable. And wondering: what happens now? Do we crumble into the dust, weakened by the stripping away of all that which not only masked us from view but supported us? or do we find a way to preserve whatever dignity we have left and stand strong in the bright light of the new day?
by accidentaltourist in Six-Word Memoirs on Nov 17, 2012 | 
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Comments
Contemplative says,
The question you pose is so beautifully drafted. I personally do not abandon ship for the blows that come in my relationships make me stronger. Maybe not the exterior, or the physical, but certainly the shipwrecked structure inside my heart uses this vital information to recall the lopsidedness of many interactions and send up an S.O.S.Also, symbolic of the Coastguard, I believe in a Higher Power in whom I can turn to to set me upright again. Reminisce, I will fondly, on the times where I breezed by, for those to are not times I acted alone but acted in unison with others; times I compromised; times I was of service to my mate; times when we amassed treasures by not rocking the boat.
I may be naked, broken, and vulnerable and at the same time I am cloaked in all the experiences, positive and negative that make me me. Broken, maybe, and able to set myself straight with positive self-talk. Vulnerable, always, and to me that is the beauty of the opportunity to trust and follow my inner compass.
canadafreeze says,
Very poignant story and comment. I'm breathless ...BanjoDan says,
a powerful backstory and shipwreck metaphor, thanks.Staraj says,
Ahoy!