Cricket is still hanging out at the beach. She loves the salty air, the sound of the waves rolling in and this particular balmy evening is dead-on gorgeous. The light blue sky hosts puffy clouds of muted gray, lavender, and pink and the ocean is a dreamy light emerald greenish color. Enormous waves roll in the distance, crescendo at the barrier reef and make their way to the sandy beach below. Cricket stands safely on higher ground, where tropical broad-leaf plants wave with the sea breeze. With wonder, she studies the waves and contemplates the great mystery of ocean.
Cricket has watchful eyes like a Praying Mantis, but she’s also a bit jumpy – so maybe she’s more like her namesake. She’s has a difficult time focusing on just about anything – scattered thoughts always swarming in her head. Often, she notices that she is clenching her jaws and fists, that her shoulders are tense, her brow furrowed. Cricket finds it hard to relax as she is always worried about something – because that is her job. She keeps vigil for any possible sort of conceivable, thinkable danger.
Because she has always been a desert dweller, the beach is foreign terrain for Cricket. Though she loves the beach, she is on hyper alert status here – seeing extreme danger in the waves and unknown sea creatures. Visions of shark attacks, tsunamis, sea snakes stymy her. The local tsunami flood-plain warning signs give her the shivers. Her heart races when she watches the surfers on the big waves.
Honestly, I don’t remember the first time I was aware of Cricket. Maybe it was around kindergarten – a foreign building, an unknown teacher, new children – out of my comfort zone. Cricket followed me into middle and high school, college, career, marriage, and child-rearing. I don’t ever remember a time without her. She has always been a part of my life. In fact, she got so good at being on vigil that she took over for a while. That is when other parts were shut down – the spontaneous part, the adventurous part, and others.
Standing at the ocean, Cricket recalls those times. She now understands that while she is important, that other parts are important, too. Cricket now knows that she does not need to control everything – that other parts are capable and need their space. She notices that since she quit taking over, things are generally better and that she does not have to work near as hard. Cricket recognizes that her comfort zone is not as narrow as it used to be.
She scans the green sea. Tomorrow, maybe… just maybe, she’ll chance putting her feet in the ocean water.
