IX. At The End. The Hermit

    As you continue to swim lower, your hand eventually touches something extremely solid and covered in sand. You continue to feel around and then realize you have reached the bottom of the ocean. Looking up for the last time, you see the same thing you saw before you began this journey into the ocean and yourself.

    You sit on the ocean floor and allow your heartbeat to melt away into the hum of the ocean, going over everything you have had the honor of experiencing, extremely thankful for the opportunity to go on this magical adventure. You saw compassion, love, understanding, and acceptance in its purest forms in every part of this underwater world. You learned that all creatures, big or small, have a purpose that is fulfilled simply by existing and connecting with the world around you. As you are is enough. Becoming a better person is not about cutting out the parts of yourself you dislike, but learning to meet those dislikes with unconditional love. Letting your guard down and opening your heart allows you to form connections that can elevate your life and allow for more love to flow through you and to others. As you look back on all the things you have learned about yourself and the world, you feel a deep sense of gratitude towards the ocean that surrounds you for allowing you to experience this journey. You're thankful for being able to see life in its purest form, stripped away are all of the trivial worries of life, and we are left with the idea that at the center of it all is love. You remain in place for some time, feeling the soft hum of the ocean against your ears. You wish you could stay here, but nothing stays the same forever. Aware that the only way to go now is up, you kick up with hesitation and the jellyfish that has accompanied you to the ocean floor continues up with you for quite some time.

    You make your way past the eel's kingdom, seeing the king still resting in his hole in the cliffside and continue to swim up. Once you reach the cave you had escaped thanks to the cavefish earlier, the jellyfish breaks off its path with yours and continues on its path once again. You are on your own but you are ready for it. You are incredibly thankful to the jellyfish for its companionship when you needed it the most and for its ability to realize when you are ready to be on your own. You silently bid farewell to the jellyfish that had accompanied you to unimaginable depths and enter the cave. As if they were awaiting your return, you notice the same five cavefish from before waiting to guide you through their tunneling home once more. You give one last look to all of the cavefish that selflessly helped you, incredibly thankful for all their help, before exiting the entrance you had originally taken on your journey and swimming upwards, facing forward.

    The ocean hums against your ears and moves your path to the surface back and forth slightly, with more strength as you continue up. As you make your way past the coral reef, now alive with the fast movements and lives of its many occupants, you are reminded of how every animal, fish, and human are uniquely intertwined with one another, all existing on the same planet together. At the end of the day, the answer is always love. We each live in our respective circles, experiencing things that we believe to be unique to us and isolating ourselves when we feel we are too much. Facing those feelings of fear and self-hatred head-on is the only way to work through them. Accepting that these feelings are a part of you, then learning to love yourself regardless of that, will help you to live a more fulfilling life. As you are is enough and will always be enough. Everyone has a purpose, as shown by each of the creatures you met on your journey. Just as these underwater inhabitants taught you everyone has a purpose, they have also taught you that your purpose does not have to be incredibly grand. Whatever makes your heart swell and brings you meaning gives you purpose. While we are not all connected in some food chain as every fish in the ocean is, we are connected socially. Each of us may have individual purposes that give us meaning, but our overall purpose for living is to connect with those around us, spread love and compassion, and extend that love and compassion to ourselves. As we are is enough and will always be enough.


    You gasp as you break the surface of the water, breathing in the fresh ocean air.