The Oceans Within Us

As children, we can't wait to grow up. But when we finally do, a lot of us would do anything to revisit those carefree days full of fun and frolic and mindless laughter. (Provided our childhood was actually like that of course.)
Because just a few years into legal 'adulthood', life begins to seem so mind-bogglingly complex, so overwhelmingly full.
Full of big dreams that hover somehwere in the distance, just waiting to be clinched yet tantalizingly out of reach; and of little hopes that 'everything' will turn out all right. Eventually.
Full of secret desires, buried deep within us; and desperate prayers whispered into the night.
Full of joys and sorrows, and the proverbial 'ups and downs'. Full of heartbreak and heartache that we come to believe make us stronger.
Full of rules and compulsions, duties and responsibilities. And expectations. Both our own and others'.
Full of unfinished business and incomplete stories; of relationships gone sour and niggling regrets.
Full of things we wish we had said or done. Or hadn't. And things we wish we could say or do now.
Full of suppressed anger simmering beneath the surface; and of repressed pain tucked away deep inside.
Full of truths we refuse to acknowlege, and of lies we talk ourselves into believing. Of fears that cripple us, of guilt that burdens us.
Full of unshed tears and forced smiles; of roles we enact and games we play.
Full of mundane activities and deadlines to meet; of time constraints and societal restraints.
Full of 'wrong' impulses and 'right' principles, and our own little biases and prejudices.
Full of memories: some fond, some bittersweet. And so many special moments we yearn to hold on to.
Full of people: those we love and those we avoid, and that rare little category of those we love yet avoid.
Full of cacophony around us, and silence within. And other times, silence around us and cacophony within.

To quote a line from the well-known Shantaram, 'We carry oceans inside of us'.
Yes, we certainly do. Some wide, some deep. Some raging, some calm. Some frozen. And some just still.
'And we are crying the oceans in our tears'.