Sailing in calmer waters...

By Vichara

When I “sit” some mornings the thoughts sometimes come and natter away at something that needs to be taken care of or with what needs to be said to somebody. They spin around and mingle with each other thoughts and create an internal cacophony like sirens on the rocks that tempted and called out to sailors in sea-faring legends. These thoughts can lure you into choppy waters of indecision and mire you into confusion until you are not sure which way is the safe shoreline. Steering away from these sirens and choppy waters may seem difficult but it is a requirement and essential to your survival. It is when you can see the single waves approaching are you able to steer to the shores of equanimity. How do you get to these calmer waters? Drift out farther from the chaotic shoreline to get a better perspective. Solutions that matter will only appear when you rest in calmer waters and when you distance yourself away from the chaotic shoreline we all encounter.

forte • \FORT\ • noun
: something in which one excels : one's strong point
Example Sentence:
The pitcher's forte is definitely his 100-mph fastball, although his curveball is also strong.
Did you know?
"Forte" derives from the sport of fencing -- when English speakers borrowed the word from French in the mid-17th century, it referred to the strongest part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt. It is therefore unsurprising that "forte" eventually developed an extended metaphorical sense for a person's strong point. (Incidentally, "forte" has its counterpoint in the word "foible," meaning both the weakest part of a sword blade and a person's weak point.) There is some controversy over how to correctly pronounce "forte"; common choices in American English are "FOR-tay" and "for-TAY," but many usage commentators recommend rhyming it with "fort." None of these is technically true to the French, in which "forte" would sound more like "for." You can take your choice, knowing that someone somewhere will dislike whichever variant you choose. All, however, are standard.