The Quiet Space: The glow from Havana

The glow from Havana cast a spell on him as he followed the sun and moon upon slipping off to a deep sleep and waking up in the dark green sea.

Then he looked behind him and saw that no land was visible. That makes no difference, he thought. I can always come in on the glow from Havana… The Old Man and The Sea.

What a beautiful hope. Never giving up, never defeated, the old man went into the sea for more than 84 days in relentless pursuit of facing his biggest challenge up close – a giant fish. Waiting upon the glow from Havana, he was a great fish himself.

Hemingway’s big fish was led by the wind and the stars… the old man could tell from watching the stars. And he waited upon the sun and moon, as he held on to his fishing line… to catch the giant fish.

Big or small, day in and day out, each of us has challenges to wrestle with. What matters is knowing and understanding how big or small the challenge is.

And, knowing what you are chasing or doing. Are you chasing butterflies and glowworms or running with the stars? Or, are you waiting for the beautiful sunset to vanish in the dark or are you waiting for the morning light to dawn on you?

Well, whatever you are chasing, you got to aim for the stars and dance in the morning light barefoot. But do you have the right song?

What are you hoping for and what are you holding on to? Do you know how to hold the things you have? Do you hold on so tight that it breaks? Knowing what’s in your hand, and knowing how to hold it can brighten your way like the glow from Havana.'

Often, we lose our finest catch as we try to hold them too hard or struggle to deal with things not in our hands, things beyond our control. And we fall into the trap of reliving lost dreams – trying to do the things we should have done and things that cannot be undone. 

If you are still struggling, make sure your fishing line is strong enough to hold your hope and let the glow from Havana cast a spell on you too.