Snorkeling As A Spiritual Practice

My sabbatical underwater

So what does one do during a sabbatical? Fair question, and one I’ve wondered myself. Besides getting 8 hours of sleep and reading for fun, I do have plans and even a theme. Here’s an excerpt from my grant application describing my approach to sabbatical:

I am a land animal. I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma: a landlocked state. I was 14 the first time I set foot in the ocean and was actually surprised how salty it was! As an adult, my main hobby is running, which I love for my mental and physical health. I completed the LA Marathon in 2019 and a half marathon a few months ago. Running mirrors my life in ministry: I’m always on the go. For my sabbatical, I want to create a different space and pace so that I slow down and observe the world around me. I want to soak up God’s abundant goodness without a finish line in sight.

            The centering theme for my sabbatical is snorkeling as a spiritual practice. Being in the water forces me to stop talking, stop racing, and instead to focus on my breath. Snorkeling is not about covering large distances, getting faster, or hitting a goal but about floating and observing what is in the water below, allowing the waves to gently carry you where they will. With time in the water and time in reflective writing, my sabbatical will be a time apart for rest and renewal.

After just one snorkel experience, I can tell you I already feel very spiritual. I did float, and let the waves carry me, and swim with bright orange Garibaldi in the kelp forest, and focus on my breath, and watch my fingers shrivel into prunes. And it was everything it was cracked up to be.

As we approached the water with waves crashing, the surface was pretty chaotic. But as soon as I put my face underwater, everything was calm. It was like going through a portal to another realm that was just inches away beneath the surface. Though I am now far away from the kelp forest of Catalina, that majestic atmosphere teaming with life is right where I left it just being its beautiful self even if no one is there to see.

Of course the kelp forest doesn’t exist so that I or anyone else can observe it. The fish swim and the kelp sways knowing nothing of the chaos above the waves. It feels like God is letting me in on a little secret, that there is so much more beauty out there – some of it far away or under the waves – and it’s always there, whether I notice it or not. But also that I don’t have to don a wetsuit or get on a boat to experience something beautiful; it’s probably all around me inviting me to take notice.

As my sabbatical continues, you may be subjected to more travel brags (just can’t help it). But I’ll also be keeping an eye out for beauty around me at unexpected moments. And I hope you’ll be on the lookout too.