The Big Blue Wave

"Everything is energy..." --Daryl Anka 

At the beginning of our trip to Japan my son's teacher handed each of us a few sheets of paper stapled together. This was to be our "trip journal" and we were expected to fill it out each day, answering the questions that were posed. 

On Day 1 the questions were: How are you feeling? What are you looking forward to most on this trip? What are your concerns? 

My primary concern was losing my son. 

During the final trip meeting, held about one month before the trip, the teacher had mentioned that because the trains are so crowded in Japan it is possible that someone might not make it onto the train in time and end up stranded on the platform. She gave the kids instructions on how to handle this if it happened and promised to give each child a badge with her name and cell phone number on it to wear at all times while we were in Tokyo. 

After the meeting I became convinced that my son was going to be the one left standing on the subway platform. This was my primary concern, which I diligently wrote down in my journal. 

The first few days I didn't let my son out of my sight and I kept a hand on him at all times when it came time to board a subway train. Needless to say this was not appreciated. I got a lot of eye rolls and more than one, "God, Mom!"

As it turns out, I didn't need to worry. 

For one thing, on days that were really busy - where we were going to be doing a lot of traveling and jumping in and out of trains - the kids had coordinated shirts. Bright blue and visible from miles away. 

On those days it was easy to keep track of the kids, just look for the Big Blue Wave.

The Big Blue Wave in Kamakura

But even on other days, when we weren't wearing matching shirts, we seemed to move as one, as if we were energetically joined at the hip, each person following the person in front of them and all of us following our fearless leader, our Sensei.

I am very pleased to report that over the course of our eleven day trip, not one child was left standing on a subway platform. Not even mine.

And after a few days I came to trust in the Big Blue Wave and I released my grip on my son, even riding in a different subway car from time to time, just to give him some space. 

This got me thinking about energy and how powerful it is, and yet, how little we trust in it.

If everything is energy, then of course we all moved as one, because we were, on some level, all one. One group with one purpose and one destination. And if anyone HAD gotten lost I would be willing to bet it would have been because they forgot that for a moment.

Isn't that how we always get lost? By forgetting who and what we are?

Learning to trust in the Big Blue Wave has given me a blueprint for learning to trust more in the Universe. In its plan for my life. In its commitment to my well-being. We're all a part of the Big Blue Wave on this planet we call Earth. The only way to get lost is to forget that.

May you always remember. 

The Big Blue Wave walking to Sangubashi Station