Some of the richest, most biologically-diverse places in the world are shorelines. These are places where the ecosystem of the ocean meets the ecosystem of the land; where plants and animals, salt water and fresh water, interact and intermingle in new and surprising ways. Shorelines are nutrient-dense places, and team with diverse and abundant Life.
It’s good to remember this, because often we shy away from edge-places. It can feel secure and comfortable being clearly one thing or another: either an ocean-dweller or a land-creature. We know what to expect, in the clearly-inland parts of our lives. We know who can expect to meet, in our particular pocket of the sea.
On the shorelines we encounter difference; on these edges we encounter the Other. Often this is uncomfortable, but one thing is for sure: when we venture to the shorelines, it’s a rich and abundant experience. We gain new experiences, and we are asked to see things in new ways. And there is an invitation, always, of relationship: to come towards the alien Other with an open posture, in willing anticipation to meet.
As our world is torn apart by knifings, by bombings, is this not what we most desperately need? For us to walk or crawl or swim to the shorelines of our lives, of our world, with an openness to meet the Other?
And then, who knows what Life you might be swept up into, as you spend some time paddling amongst the diverse life-forms of the shore, and greeting those you meet.
Words by Rev Andreana
Image by Marg Edwards
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