I, a wandering, wondering, and wayfaring teen, of a certain age, was surely, even desperately, while trying to find my place and space in the world, spent more time than I even care to admit, along the shallow, low-tide salt flats of Chapin beach, Dennis, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod-my home away from home.
Shells. Snails. Marine life. Boogie boards. Marlboro cigarettes. Transistor radio. Unrequited love. The sound of squawking Herring gulls. Seaweed. Parental conflict. Thoughts of college and career. Beach grass. Reefer. Sugar, sugar. The feel and smell of salt on my face. Barefoot. The Beach Boys. Sand in my toes. Ripped jeans. Rope belts. King of beers. Mustang Sally. Wave and sand ripples. Horseshoe crabs. The Vietnam War. The age of Aquarius. My thoughts of the deep. Insecurity and fragility galore.
The salt flats not only provided a stunning backdrop for watching the sunset, as the water reflected the changing colors of the sky, but also a perfect melancholy backdrop for my rambling, roving, and thirsty heart and mind.
These shallow waters were my refuge.
Was I happy in this modern world? Probably not. I was a teenager. I was tired of trying to fill a void. I longed for change. My identity and humanity, were sometimes crystal clear, and other times murky and muddy. Good times, bad times, I feared myself.
Shallow and deep fighting for prominence and preeminence.
Which would win out.
As I look back, with just a tad of revisionist history, these shallow areas, while surely symbolizing and epitomizing, some epic adolescence memories and moments, at a much deeper level, came to represent, over time, the superficial, mundane, or safe aspects of life that I wanted to escape from.
I needed, more than you know, a deep dive, crashing through the surface, where they can’t hurt us, far from the shallow.
This song, probably not different than millions of others who feel the same poetry in verse and rhyme here, speaks to me in a language of emotion, not words.
It reminds me of all our journeys in life-from shallow to deep.
Don’t be afraid of the deep end. Don’t settle for the shallow.
Don’t waste your time on the salt flats. Don’t let your heart be dry and dull.
Dive into the deep end. Embrace the ocean. Explore its wonders. Let your heart be wet and wild.
Crash through the surface. Break free from the limits. Reach for the stars. Let your soul be bright and bold.
Be far from the shallow. Be close to yourself. Be true to your dreams. Let your life be whole and rich.
Let’s, together, each and every one of us, be far from the shallow now.
Click
Jack
Shallow
by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga
Tell me something, girl
Are you happy in this modern world?
Or do you need more?
Is there something else you’re searchin’ for?
I’m falling
In all the good times, I find myself longin’ for change
And in the bad times, I fear myself
Tell me something, boy
Aren’t you tired trying to fill that void?
Or do you need more?
Ain’t it hard keeping it so hardcore?
I’m falling
In all the good times, I find myself longing for change
And in the bad times, I fear myself
I’m off the deep end, watch as I dive in
I’ll never meet the ground
Crash through the surface, where they can’t hurt us
We’re far from the shallow now
In the sha-ha, sha-ha-llow
In the sha-ha-sha-la-la-la-llow
In the sha-ha, sha-ha-llow
We’re far from the shallow now
Oh, ha-ah-ah
Ah, ha-ah-ah, oh, ah
Ha-ah-ah-ah
I’m off the deep end, watch as I dive in
I’ll never meet the ground
Crash through the surface, where they can’t hurt us
We’re far from the shallow now
In the sha-ha, sha-ha-llow
In the sha-ha-sha-la-la-la-llow
In the sha-ha, sha-ha-llow
We’re far from the shallow now
