By the Wind
By Gina Lemieux
Spring is here again, bringing thousands upon thousands of jellyfish-like creatures to the west coast shoreline. Known commonly as the by-the-wind sailor (or Velella velella for the biologists), this translucent and purplish-blue animal spends most of its life afloat on the surface of the ‘high seas’ such as the Pacific Ocean. What is amazing is that instead of being completely at the mercy of the ocean currents and winds, the by-the-wind sailor actually has a sail set diagonally along its surface that essentially dictates the direction it is going and ultimately the shore it may end up on (those that wash up on the Pacific west coast shores typically have their sails directed in a northwest to southeast direction).

What ‘ocean of life’ are you traveling through right now? What ‘sail’ can you set that will take advantage of life’s winds and take you where you need to go? Is it taking a specific action? Making a long overdue connection?
Unlike the by-the-wind sailor, we have the ability, if we are willing, to reposition our ‘sail’ if the water or shore is not right for us. What adjustments can you make to your ‘sail’? Is it a thought? A belief? A pattern? A story you are telling yourself? It does not need to be big, just a one-degree shift can set you towards an entirely new destination.