Friday 19 May 2017

#194 Water

Twenty five years ago, a shipping container fell overboard on its way from Asia to the US. Its contents? Rubber ducks. Tens of thousands. The floating toys washed up on beaches around the world but two thousand became trapped in a circular pacific current. It seemed likely they'd remain there, rotating around. Forever trapped in the water.

Buckets of it crashed down as I sat peering out from the usual spot. The seat of my shorts was soaked from the flooded marble floor. My T-shirt and the rest of me were catching up. The rain never stopped me running. It would reduce my sitting time that afternoon but not by much.

Basking in my volitious shower, I relished the thought of passers-by being impressed or curious about my ease and passivity in such a climate. It distracted me from the ankle I twisted fifteen minutes prior.

I wasn't the only one caught in a downpour. I had a friend whose mental forecast was often gloomy. She'd been messaging me about her family, who seemed to contribute to it. As usual, dismal observations poured out of her head and into her phone. Like the rain, I enjoyed letting it reach me, without affecting me. Getting wet without getting bothered. A bothered person can't do anything. Whatever they try to do, they'll ruin. Rain doesn't ruin anything. Unless it bothers you.

The current I was caught in was different. I'd been making applications for several weeks and had only heard back from a few. I guessed that was the nature of finding work. I resolved to make more calls and push on with the applications. If that didn't work, maybe I could get a temp job. Something would need to change though. I'd need to get more fed up of job hunting. Or more excited about temping. When would that happen? Why?

A quarter-century since the rubber ducks were lost, they're still washing up on different beaches. Despite getting trapped in the current, the remaining ducks can still be dislodged by a sea storm or the movements of a whale pod, which means there's always a chance they'll break free. Even after years of being trapped in the same water. It's possible to find a way to shore.