Monday, November 5, 2012

Relax Lately?





“Waves crash all around me, in an instant, my troubles gone.
Serenity overwhelms me; a massive wave of warm and clear ocean,
Roaring, soothing, calling…”
-Louis Santana




There are times when you or I fall into the trap of hurriedness. Don’t be fooled, it is a trap.  We hurry and scurry all about, and yet only clear a day’s worth of clutter from our plates. In the morning when we wake, we are sure to see it once more, begging to be attended to.  That was my life before I went on a weekend’s vacation to the Pacific Ocean.  It was only a weekend mind you, and I must admit that I was reluctant to visit the ocean, in light of all the other wonderful and exciting things to be seen and done in Sunny San Diego. I am a doer, and the thought of actually taking time to visit a mere pile of sand and water fought with the inner hurried man in me that advertised its charm wholly in the fact that it was the absence of doing that was its greatest asset.  Still I hesitantly settled in on making the short outing to see what the big fuss was about in seeing a giant playground of sand and sea.    

As I arrived, I caught a faint whiff of the wonderfully sweet-smelling ocean breeze. The wind was fresh enough to feel cool against my face.  As I made my way down the beach, I paused to slip off my shoes, and as I carried them I saw families playing against the backdrop of the horizon, the oceans roar growing ever so louder.  It was as if I was stepping back into time, and with each step on the wonderfully smooth silica sand, the engine inside me that ran at such a furious pace in the city began to slow down.  I drew closer and fully took in the wondrous site before me.  In the distance was a cliff from which off it I could see divers leaping into the frothy basin below.  To my right ran a wooden pier and on it, I saw a man and a woman in full formal attire betrothing their lives to each other in matrimony.  All around me were people fully engaged in the archaic art of relaxing. Young, old, big and small; two older men passed in front of me and waved hello, the sun reflecting off their silver hair and tan skin.  A group of young girls played in the surf, splashing about, laughing without a single momentary care in the world. Others jogged near the line of the incoming tide; some in their bare feet others in sneakers.  My own little one chased the current, scouring the damp sand for seashells. It was then that I was awoke by the highlighting of everything around me in a warm orange glow; the sea, the sand, and the cottages in the distance.  The sun swollen and fat, prepared to make its final descent into the boundless waves beyond the line where ocean met sky. 

The waves called to me. They whispered, calming my soul.  The tide reassuringly surrounded me over and over, the water cool and fresh.  The waves roared their excitement as they fell upon each other, and as I looked upon them I felt hope, and confidence; joy, and peace.  I was entranced and had a sudden urge to be completely engulfed in the cool water as I watched the waves roll in and out.  I stood there, letting the sun’s fading light warm me as I watched it radiate and reflect its mirror image in the surf before me.

Much too soon I begrudgingly knew that it was time to go.  My spirit completely rested, a foreign sensation I rarely get to have.  I also finally understood the myriads of amateur photos of people standing by the sea and the significance that moment captured in time must have meant for them too, something no one can ever explain to another fully. Thankful for my own moment, I know that I will soon find myself intentionally visiting the Great Sea once more and its entire vast splendor. My sober thought is simply this: “Is there anything so powerful that can slow down our engine enough to appreciate all that we have?” For me, it was the visit to the ocean’s waters that finally calmed my pensive soul.  Whatever it is, my hope is that you too will find it. 

-Lou               

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