In the chaos of these last few days, I found myself once again drawn to the shore.

My weather alert told me that while the temperatures would be more summer than fall, the rip tide was dangerous and lurking just below the surface.

Today I stood at the shore of a very different sea.

The calm of a few days ago had given way to winds that whipped the waves into a frenzy. They pounded the beach with bravado and fury but were driven back by the pull of the sun and the moon; unable to claim much ground.

The birds laughed as they frolicked in the surf, snatching fish and mocking the waves.

The birds, you see, have the gift of flight and are able to rise above the fray, to see things from a different perspective.

The birds are not afraid of being dragged under because they possess the ability to rise above.