Ocean and other musings

So the ocean and I are best friends, even if I do most of the work in the friendship. It's not just that I like to visit it on vacations or the occasional long weekend trip. I get giddy as I approach the ocean, twisting my neck to see any sliver of water that peeks through houses or trees or hills as I drive by. As soon as I get close enough to smell the saltwater, I pause, inhale deeply, and then tear off in the directions of the seagulls, loosing various socks and shoes and inhibitions until I end up barefoot in the surf.
Needless to say, the fact that I can walk a few (actually 4) flights of stairs to deck 7 and watch the eastern edge of the Atlantic sway makes my heart flutter.  Where we're docked, there's a rock outlet that absorbs the harsh waves that would normally make our ship shaky, which is helpful for stocking pharmacy items on open shelves, but apparently makes it a little treacherous for ships. There are at least 3 shipwrecks viewable from various sides of our ship.

We were supposed to go to an island today, but apparently there was an accident yesterday with some boats, and several people drowned.  I don't know the whole story or who died, but the whole day today, I've just been reflecting on why we're here, and even wondering how we can help when events, like the accident, occur, and we have no control over it. I know we're going to bring hope and healing to several people here in Guinea, and I'm so excited about that. It's great to make a difference in a few lives, even if you can't fix everything. I think I'm just sad about the whole state of affairs-that people suffer and have unfair diseases that ravage their body and people die, in spite of our best efforts. It's nothing new; history is filled with pain and disappointment and loss; I just am so excited for the day that it stops. That injustice and inequality and fear are banished, and love wins. For now, I guess I just have to keep looking at sunsets in Africa that will soon be sunrises in another part of the world and remember that time continues on whether we eagerly anticipate the next day or feel as though the world has disintegrated. And one day, we won't have to wait. It will just be good.