Watching The Boats Roll In
Author's Note
First things first, this is not actually inspired by (Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay by Otis Redding, just the concept is. I really like nature, and I like how that song portrays liking nature, so I weaved the dock into the plot. I’ve ran a rough draft by my Wings of Fire Wikia friends, and they approved it, so here I am.
This story’s pretty good, too. But I still have one more idea I want to try, doing an exploration of appreciating the mundane. For now, here’s this.
Before you say that 14-year olds can’t get introspective, I can confirm that they do. I’m not far off from that age, and I love nature, and do wander in my thoughts sometimes.
Influences: Tangled Up In Blues
Watching The Boats Roll In
When I was a young stallion, my grandfather took me to a certain pier at the end of a lake. It wasn’t a crowded pier, so we took some blankets and laid there.
On my first trip to this pier, my grandfather pointed out at the boats rolling in and out of the dock at the other end of the deep blue lake. When he captured my attention, he said some simple words to me.
“You ever just sit and contemplate life?” my grandfather asked, his green eyes glinting the sunset while his yellow coat matched it.
I was 10 or so at this point, so naturally I had no idea what he was talking about. So, I didn’t answer, but they say that colts are influenced by their actions, and I wasn’t any different.
Seeing that he would receive no response, my grandfather sighed. He said in his deep voice, worn by years, but unmistakably wise,”Someday, you’ll be my age, Wheat Grain, and you’ll contemplate life all the time. I suppose that until then, we can be content with a lake at sunset.”
I mean, a lake at sunset is beautiful, and little 10-year old me was entranced by the amount of colors in the sky. Yellows, oranges, reds, and even purples reflecting on the water as the boats took trips around.
I mean, sure, I got older, and my grandfather kept taking me biannually. Every time, he’d ask how much I contemplated life, and I really didn’t answer until I was fourteen.
This time, my grandfather asked me the same question, his eyes glinting the sunrise and his mouth forming a smile.
This time, I also answered. “I don’t know, sometimes I do wonder if I’ll ever leave a mark. I want to be known as a good guy, you know? I guess I can sort of stare at the sunlight and let my thoughts wander, but sometimes that isn’t good enough. I just want to be well-known, I suppose.”
My grandfather laughed.”Oh, Little Grain, you still have so much to learn.”
Stunned by the reply, I asked my grandfather,”What do I have to learn?”
My grandfather gave his kind smile again.”Well, nature is supposed to make your thoughts wander. You aren’t supposed to question life, but contemplate it, two very different things. Also, don’t have any fear, because your mark will be remembered by me.”
I smiled weakly, still not believing my grandfather. I didn’t think I wanted my thoughts to wander.
It wasn’t until the next year that I took my grandfather’s statement to heart and actually started letting my thoughts wander, getting into discussions about what really makes you happy. My grandfather would listen to me, but he never seemed to share his, perhaps because I never asked him about it.
That is, until his heart attack.
My grandfather suffered a massive heart attack, but he still recovered, thanks to doctors and nurses who cared for him. Also, much to my surprise, he was just as happy as he usually was, especially during our biannual trips to the lake.
I was around sixteen at this point, and my grandfather was still taking me to that lake as a bonding experience. My grandfather asked his same old question, but he was getting noticeably weaker and he seemed to be in worse shape every six months.
I answered with my usual statement,”Yeah, I do let my thoughts wander and think about life sometimes. However, I have a question for you. Why are you so happy? You seem to be in worse shape every six months and yet you’re still smiling at these boats and this serene scene.”
My grandfather chuckled, eyes reflecting the sunset as per usual.”I may be old, but I have a few years or so before I kick the bucket, you don’t have to remind an old stallion about his age. I mean, you’ve answered my question throughout the years, so I’ll answer yours. Wheat Grain, the key to living a happy life is to let life go by, respect nature, take it in, experience something new every time. That’s the key to my happiness, finding solace in nature.”
I didn’t understand what my grandfather was trying to tell me. So I just nodded and looked at the sunset, as beautiful as it always was, feeling de-stressed laying by my grandfather.
Apparently, he didn’t even have a few more years. I only witnessed one more sunset with my grandfather before he died. The Equestrian doctors said that they didn’t have a guaranteed treatment plan for a heart attack, and his health was rapidly declining, and he wouldn’t make it much longer.
For years after that, I avoided that old dock. Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, all gone, I hated seeing that pier. All it reminded me of was my grandfather, and I hated seeing a stallion go so soon. He was a great stallion, always funny, introspective, and really just nice to hang out with.
Well, I did get a job sometime during those years, a job that involved quite a bit of paperwork. I was constantly asked to do work, even if I didn’t want to, and it was all piled onto me like I was a horse meant for carrying.
It wasn’t helped by my grandfather’s passing, and I felt more stressed than ever. I did this job for ten years, forgetting about the pier. I got used to the stress, but one day, I just got so much piled onto me that I stumbled home, not wanting to ever go back.
I don’t know if I took a wrong turn, ifmy grandfather was guiding my hooves, or if my subconscious remembered the great times I had there. But somehow, I ended up at an old pier, some planks rotting through. I laid down on this pier, being careful to avoid the rot, and watched the sun start to set. The sun reflected over the lake, and on the other side, some people were getting on a boat for a trip around the lake.
I had somehow ended up at the exact same pier my grandfather loved to take me to.
I could almost see my grandfather next to me, his yellow coat matching the sunset, his green eyes reflecting it, his mouth curved in a smile. I heard his question in my mind, but it was somehow even more personal. I wondered what life was all about. I examined the nature closely, the serene scene significantly de-stressing me. Taking solace in nature, I realized that I knew exactly what my grandfather was talking about. I realized what had made him so happy. The sounds of nature settling down for the night, the cool air on my coat that matched the sunset, the scene of the boats going about their days. It made me contemplate life, by the end of the night, I was significantly de-stressed.
It’s been a great many years since then, and whenever I feel stressed I now take a trip to that pier by the lake.
I sit on the pier, watching the sunset, watching the boats roll in and out of their dock, contemplating life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
