22 Oct 2003 part 2
While your walking, you see someone coming towards you, and well they are at this angle that is like, man you walk funny. But at the same time you are doing the same thing. After almost 8 years at sea you would think that I would be use to rough seas. I am but you know, there is just some things you cant control in life. I dont mind rough seas I enjoy the feel of the ship as she rocks back and forth. To feel the power of the water as she crashes into the ship and you know that we have no control over that power out there. We are just here we are protected from that water, but should she chose to she could take us out, just like that. That does not bother me either knowing that just makes it all that much more of something I want to. Something I long for. When I was on shore duty, I didnt think I would go back out to sea. I had been thinking about getting out after shore duty. Make my way in the outside world. And you know what, I really missed knowing that I wouldnt be able to see those far flung oceans again. I wasnt to impressed with the Persian gulf this time around but damn did the Indian Ocean look just as nice as always. We have just gotten into the Pacific Ocean but she is more than words can explain. The hole vastness of the ocean. All the life that is there that we cant see, yet its there. To see a whale as it reaches out of the water and crashes back down the flying fish as the dance across the wave tops and dip back into the water many yards from where they started from. Its hard to get a look at sharks out here but if your lucky, you can do that. The most impressing thing though and until you are able to do this my words cant explain this enough but the smell. The ocean has a smell all of its own and well to me its a bit over powering. Maybe that is what I miss the most being out there the middle of the vastness, and knowing just how small I am in this world, yet being able to feel the power, the life, the hole oneness of the ocean. Its like a drug to me I guess that is what I love so much about being out here. I am not in control out here, but I am just a guest. I am able to partake in this gift given to me. It really is a gift not just life, but being in the navy, being out here. I dont know if any of this makes sense to you readers I guess its just one of those things you have to experience for yourself. What I wonder is it the same on a cruise ship ? Is paying all that price for a week long trip on a floating city the same as an eight month deployment on a state of the art war ship ? I dont know and well I wonder that so many times. Those cruise ships dont go that from the coast and the farther you get from land, the more intoxicating the hole thing is to me. We passed threw the Philippine islands today, we are done with the India Ocean, now we work on the largest body of water in the world. This makes the fourth time I crossed this body of water. But I have done a lot of time here in this body of water. Three of my five ships have been in this ocean. I have gone as far down as to Chili, South America for a deployment. I think I have said this before, but I have cross the world now. I started on the East coast, and went across, and then I went to West coast and went rest of the way around. Met up with my mark in the Persian gulf. I have crossed the Equator many times, I have gone threw the Panama Cannel, and well as the Suez Cannel. I have even crossed the Arctic circle. So yeah, I have been around ya think ?