To the sea I went,
my heart full sore
For the Norns, whose wrath
I would now escape;
But the lofty billows
bore me undrowned,
Till to land I came,
so I longer must live.

–from Guðrúnarhvöt (Bellows 1923 translation)

One of my favorite passages about the sea, Gudrun’s Lament is from The Poetic Edda. The Norns weave our fates, and we can’t escape them, not even in the vast emptiness of the ocean.

To the sea I went, not to escape my fate, but to find more of what I love: new experiences and quiet time for contemplation. We traveled on one of the largest cruise ships in the world, where climbing walls and carousels and cupcake decorating classes constantly tempted us away from the ocean, away from ourselves.

But it’s the vast ocean that I love–and quiet time to think and dream. I was surprised to find solitude on a ship so big, but I did find it. I sat alone and stared at the waves and got lost in the emptiness of the sea.

When I came back to the world, there were parties to attend, and many people to see.