Once upon a time there lived a sea lion who has lost the sea.

He lived in a country known as the barren lands. High on a plateau, far from any coast, it was a place so dry and dusty that it could only be called a desert. A kind of course grass grew in patches here and there, and a few trees were scattered on the horizon. But mostly, it was dust. And sometimes wind, which together makes one very thirsty. Of course, it must seem strange to you that such a beautiful creature should wind up in a desert at all. He was, mind you, a sea lion. But things like this do happen.

How the sea lion came to the barren lands, no one could remember. It all seemed so very long ago. So long, in fact, it appeared as though he had always been there. Not that he belonged in such an arid place. How could that be? He was, after all, a sea lion. But as you know, once you have lived so long in a certain spot, no matter how odd, you come to think of it as home. (John Eldredge, The Journey of Desire, chapter one)

"We are never living, but hoping to live." - Pascal

"It seems to me that we can never give up longing and wishing while we are
alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must
hunger for them." - George Elliot

"And I still haven't found what I'm looking for." - U2