I have never found my message in a bottle, although I did perpetrate a fake pirate map in a bottle for my nephew Josh while we were in NC 15 years ago. It was the hit of that trip. Digressing. Anyway - I still think about these things a lot. Feeling like maybe it's time for me to send one out into the world. Who knows.
While I am engrossed in bottle-y message daydreaming I have this idea jump fully formed into my head. Naysayers may skip ahead. What if I have already let loose some bottle from some distant shore in a previous lifetime hoping that this me here and now will find it? What would I tell my future self? What if, in essence, my spirit is that message and this ephemeral body the bottle? Messages gathering steam and speed after countless lives. Each stashed into a new bottle waiting for me to simply remember it's out there and look for it.
Message to the finder:
Ahoy
traveler!
You
are never alone.
You
are beautiful just like you are right now.
You
are loved by the restless hoard beyond the waves.
Write
that book. Right NOW! There will never be a better time.
Enjoy
the people around you, they will only be with you a short time.
Have
lots of ear-popping, toe-curling sex.
Don’t
waste time on bad food, bad TV, bad anything really.
Find
beauty in places overlooked.
Take
time to linger in the aspenglow.
Build
sculptures in snow, in popsicle sticks, in mud, in whatever delights your
hands.
Laugh.
Laugh
more.
Do
not be afraid. It’s a waste of time.
Ditto
anger.
Always
look inward and toward that horizon and watch for me.
Your
past and future self
Nice, Mary! Enjoyed catching up on your blog this evening. And nice to see the small stones again. W-C
ReplyDeleteI love your message!
ReplyDeleteI've always been fascinated by the message in a bottle concept. But I don't think throwing the bottle in a duckpond would work out real well...so I haven't done it.
LOVE. THIS. SO. MUCH!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone. Just goes to show you how universal some things are in our collective imaginations.
ReplyDeleteSo refreshing. Thank you.
ReplyDelete