inthemidstofthesea

i thought i might give you all a little more information concerning the title of my blog. it is a quote from walt whitman's leaves of grass. this is a remnant of my high school days and tim mcGee (my high school ap english teacher and one of my more influential teachers and friends). here is the quote:

"Long have you timidly waded, holding a plank by the shore,

Now I will you to be a bold swimmer,

To jump off in the midst of the sea, and rise again and nod to me

and shout, and laughingly dash with your hair."

Song of Myself pg 81 in the 1855 edition

perhaps i am still timidly wading, but i tried to jump when i boarded the plane to istanbul. i no longer wanted to take or experience things as a secondhander, but jump and float freely. it is hard to float, even here i find myself swimming back towards the shore. it is a struggle back and forth.