The ocean guru
Frank scribbled the words onto an old piece of paper he found in the trash can.
Reading it now made him sad and aware of just how confused he felt.
What's the point of life?
Is the world only about selfishness and pain.
People care only for their bank accounts.
They walk by me like I don't even exist.
Why am I here anyway!? - Frank
He folded the paper tightly and put it into an old bottle. The note smelled like beer now but that seemed appropriate somehow. And he flung it out into the ocean waves and watched it disappear.
Suddenly he felt foolish. He imagined that beer bottle sinking down to the bottom of the ocean and some poor fish getting hit in the head by it.
And he thought, What a waste of time it was to put a message in a bottle anyway. I'm acting like some schoolgirl who's seen to many movies.
Then he scolded himself for polluting the ocean with that trash.
Frank was always sensitive to the world around him. Always thinking, second guessing himself, and worrying. He'd learned how to cope by withdrawing into himself and his world of thoughts. No real relationships and few friends to speak of. And his job closed the doors and didn't want him back.
He watched the point of the ocean where the bottle disappeared. Like he expected the ocean to regurgitate the bottle back up again.
Frank had no home to return to, but the sand was comfy to sleep on. And he lay down hoping no crabs would crawl in his ears while he slept. Images flashed through his mind all night but in the morning he remembered none of it.
The sun woke him early, or was it the lone jogger running along the shore at 6am.
He noticed how still and calm life seemed by that ocean. Like the world made sense. He was in awe of the way the morning sunlight sparkled on the waves. He felt in that moment like the sea and the sun were reaching out to him and into him at the same time.
In that dawn the ocean became his greatest teacher and companion.
The waves spoke with their rhythms. The salty air refreshed him. And suddenly things became clear, more clear than they ever were.
That spot on the beach became Frank's home. He vowed to stay there until he found true peace...and he did.
He soon became known as the guru by the sea. When people came looking for answers. Frank would simply tell them,
"I'm just like you. I'm not the guru here. The real teachers are the sunshine, nature and the ocean. Just sit and listen to them and you'll discover the answers you need. Open yourself to that silence and peace."
Frank never thought about that desperate note he put into the bottle. He found all the answers and purpose he needed. Just by sitting at the edge of the sea and helping other lost souls who found their way to the ocean.