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February 26, 2009
Salt
There is a theory that our species originated from the sea, that all living things lived in the sea. Then, a few hundred million years ago, the living things began to live on the land as well. In a way, after all those millions of years living in the sea, we took the ocean with us. When a woman makes a baby, she gives it water to grow. That water is almost exactly the same as the water of the sea. It is salty, by just about the same amount. Our blood and our sweat are salty, almost exactly like sea water. We carry the oceans in our bodies, in our blood, our sweat and our tears.
There is also a theory that we descended from aliens.
And this is what I was pondering as I stood at the urinal on the 6th floor of an office building at Broadway and 14th Street today. My thoughts about this, and whether it would explain my undeniable connection to the sea, were vivid. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize that there was another guy in the washroom, in one of the toilet stalls. He flushed, and emerged from the stall to wash his hands, completely breaking my train of thought.
I apologized to him. He looked at me quizzically, tipping his head to one side as if to ask what I was apologizing for. I let it go, quickly realizing that I had been so deep in thought that I actually thought I had been uttering my musings out loud. He must have thought I was mad (maybe I am, although, this is New York City).
Midway through practicing Bikram yoga in the hot room, as I caught the edge of a bead of salty sweat that dripped down my face and into the corner of my mouth, I realized that every day we pass people on the streets and there is a common bond between us - a conversation that requires no words.
The place from where we may have come - the sea - is full of so much mystery and magic. Unlike the sky, the surface of the sea prevents us from seeing beneath it. I suppose that this keeps us wondering whether the truth of our existence lies beneath that shimmering salty veil. And if it does, goody. Because nothing makes me happier than the sea. Except for my husband, whom I love as much, if not more, than the sea.
Posted by dave at February 26, 2009 06:33 PM