by Bob Sparrow
We’ve had our share of rain this year, thank God! On one of those cold, rainy February mornings here in southern California I headed to the coast, thinking it would be a great place to get perspective. It was. So I jotted down a few thoughts . . .
The contrast in my mind was stark
On this brisk, rainy February morning at the beach
By summer Frisbees will be flying
Music playing under colorful umbrellas
The smell of Coppertone
Kids splashing in the surf
A seaside calliope
–
But here and now the beach is empty
Save for an occasional walker and his dog
And a lonely surfer in a wet suit
A light rain drips off my wide brim hat
As I look for a place to take refuge
In the solitude of this chilly ashen day
–
I walk down a deserted beach
A leaden sky hangs over a steel gray ocean
Making it difficult to tell where the water stops
And the sky begins
A blurred horizon
My nostrils widen as the scent of salt rents the air
I pull my collar up against the morning chill
And affix my hat securely
Against the off-shore breeze
–
The smell of coffee
Draws me to a beachside café
I find comfort on a sheltered bench
And gaze pensively at the horizon
I am drawn to the mercurial surf
Rushing in with such urgency
Then thunderously breaking on shore
Only to retreat in an easy measured cadence
Natures melody of moving water
Music to my ears
–
The cup of coffee warms my hands
As I listen to the steady pattern of the surf
Hypnotic in its redundant rhythm
I fix my stare on that blurred horizon
The vastness of the ocean gives me pause
I feel at once tiny and inconsequential
And yet significant enough to be connected
To all of this in some universal way
As the leading player in my own life
–
In spite of pounding surf and an occasional squawking seagull
There is a quiet serenity pervading the coast
Alone and uninterrupted
It feels good to be here
I solemnly contemplate those resolutions
I made just over a month ago
And affirm that they’ll find purchase in this new year
–
I turn and walk back to the busy street
Cars rushing by and people hustling to work
Punctuate the pleasure of my time alone
It’s was good to get away even for a little while
To think, to get perspective
To recharge batteries
–
It’s going to be a good year
If I make it so