I find it when I am in or near water. I can be on my boat or simply standing in surf. The water seeps through the soles of my feet to merge with the water molecules that make up my body and I am connected, connected to everything and every one. I find inspiration then, I find peace, I find grace. For me, it is when I am in or near water. Where do you feel it, when is your connection to the world strongest? Where do you find grace?

We can be such a combination of phobias, desires, needs, love and fear and we are so sure of our own uniqueness, so sure that no one feels the same things we do that we can feel isolated, alone and like no one understands us. While being alone has its moments, being isolated and lonely is not a state that will sustain us. We will go to all kinds of lengths to confirm our uniqueness, to show that we can do it our own way, that we are, as Barney told us, special. Yet, being special means we are separate. How do we reconcile being special and being alone?

The most appealing thing about believing in Source, in following a practice or religious tradition? We are not alone, not separate. Even if we have to follow ridiculous rules and act a lot holier than we really are, we fit in: somewhere. The illusion of isolation is over. The secret of Facebook? We are connected, we fit in. We need connection, need to belong, somewhere.

The Amish, a very religious people, know this; they know there is no stronger punishment than to shun, to use shame and guilt to modify behavior, to make the offender feel totally alone and isolated. Solitary confinement without the cell is hell on earth. To belong to a group is a powerful urge, we hate being alone. We’ve all been shunned or have shunned. Ok, I have. By finding a group, by conforming our behavior, we are special, but not TOO special, we feel comfortable there.

Creative people often feel TOO special and a little isolated. We need a little more help than some others with this issue. We dye our hair pink, get a lot of ink, develop a taste for the exotic. We find others who feel the same way, we still find places to fit in, only in a different way.

Water gives me a connection to God, to other people, to other creatures, to earth itself. There is no argument about behavior, about how we describe divinity and no shunning. Water doesn’t judge; like God, it says I am your source, I am your destination, I am here for you. Even if you don’t believe in God, I bet there is still something holy about water to you.

Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist, describes the power of water’s energy in his book, The Secret Life of Water. He discovered that water has memory, through controlled experiments, he has demonstrated that water reflects the energy we bring to it. For the uninitiated, Massaru is a little “out there”, for me, someone who feels more “grounded” in water, his work helps to explain something I’ve never been able to put into words.

As a confirmed introvert, I can be good with people, I can do well socially, but it drains me. Water replenishes, it charges my batteries, it inspires, I feel Angels there. (Oh yea, I believe in Angels too, I’m a big fan, see large tattoo on my chest). When I am in the sea I am connected to the magnificence that is earth, the wonder that is creation. When dolphins jump in the wake of my boat and ride along with me, when manatees cruise up to visit, I realize I am not all that unique, not alone, I am part of a big system, I am one with everything. I like that.

I realize that we are all unique, yet all connected, everything on earth has this in common: we are on earth. It’s a lot easier to understand life when you start with a basis of commonality, with a connection to everyone and everything: we are all connected. The rest is just details.

A feel a boat trip coming on.