Thought 19: The Seasons of Our Days

Patterns and rhythms, patterns and rhythms...they play throughout our lives like sunlight playing through the leaves of a tree mottling the ground beneath with light and shadow. The syncopation of life is a story of patterns and rhythms - rising and falling, sustaining then changing - an orchestration of time and space - patterns of light and dark.

It fills our senses. Listen and you can hear it. Look and you can see it. You are immersed in it, cradled in it. One moment you are lifted by it's sweet metered pulse, and the next moment you are driven down by it's relentless pounding beat. It is life. It is equal to the same force that erodes deep canyons; abrading, carving, wearing - exposing the layers that time has deposited. It is the same force that pushed up mountains; tearing, crushing, driving - fiercely reducing granite to rubble and shaping rock like clay.

It is equivalent to the delicate beauty of a butterfly's wings, to the transparent aqua  blue-green of the curl of a wave. It is life. Hear it in the song of a bird. Feel your body move to it in the rhythm of day and night; of youth and old age; of life and death.

It is impermanent. It will not last, or ever be the same as it was sometime in the past. It is an amazing, powerful, delicate, creative gift that will ultimately end in your demise. It is Life.

I choose to love it. I choose to be grateful for it. I choose to make the most of it. I choose to live what time I have, as brilliantly as I can. I choose to celebrate myself and others on this wonderful journey. So here's to life! May we all live long and prosper.

Day 67: A Lovely Evening Spent with Stars and Flame

Fire pit last night. Fire and flame, wood and smoke... a great meditation on impermanence, the natural progression of energy and matter... on transitions... on truly understanding and working with the patterns and rhythms that are continuously unfolding around me, and within me... a lovely evening spent with stars and flame.

Day 64: Connecting in Profound Ways

A child's footprints in the sand...I follow along the same path, and the tiny footprints make me smile as I think about how that little person must have been in awe at the beauty and wonder of St. Andrews Park, in Panama Beach, Florida.  The sun is warm on my shoulders as I walk along the boardwalk that crosses the dunes to the beach.  The cry of seabirds is mixed with the sound of beach goers laughing and playing in the deep blue green water of the Gulf.  This jewel of a preserve, where beauty and wonder abound, invites the tired soul to soak in the Florida sun, on pristine white sand beaches; to wander the park, marveling at the wild life; and to connect with nature and the rhythms of life unfettered my man's dictates and imperatives.  There is something truly liberating about lying down in the sand, at the base of a dune, pressed against the warm sand, sun drenched azure sky overhead, and the ocean's inviting rhythm slowly rocking my mind to a place of relaxation.  There is peace to be found in the natural balance of sea, sand, and sky.  As complex as the human condition can be, nature provides a delightful counterpoint.  Spending time immersed in the rhythms of St. Andrews sparks in me a sense of understanding of Thoreau's need for and connection to Walden Pond.  Human complexities can oftentimes be seen as resonating with the principles found in nature. This park is a moving orchestration of natures best and offers the traveler a myriad of opportunities to connect in more profound ways with self and with the world at large.