August 30, 2017

The morning began in a fog.  The ocean was barely visible from a distance, prompting my entire self to appear at the shore.  The waves undulated softly on the horizon. At first, their height was undefined. My periphery was enveloped in a dense mist.  Whiteness resounded, along with the swoosh of breaking waves. The water crept in closer and closer.  I skipped back, so as not to get wet. The approach differed, with every tide. Irregularity! Some hardly came near, others surged inward with intention. The waves are a tease, as is life.

Light clarified, and the surfers began to come out. Like ants of a colony, they joined each other in the water. Never surf alone!  Not a sport for the meek and mild. The waves were high today and the surfer’s sense of excitement permeated the air. The challenge of riding the rising white capped water presented itself. A unique moment of bliss!

Now, the day is progressing into ‘busy,’ as usual.  While the surfers pursue their quest, cars go racing by, on the 101.   Campers awaken, fix their breakfast and joggers and walkers abound everywhere.  Never, without a sign of life, the California coast comes alive!

The clock ticks away, in opposite fragments of time and space. I feel saddened by the  unlivable circumstances “Harvey” brings to the people of Houston. The decision to evacuate, or not was wisely chosen. According to past experience, moving thousands of people out of the city was an unimaginable undertaking.   The fourth largest city in the U.S.A, found itself in a no win situation!

How lucky I have been to escape tragedy, thus far.  I cross my fingers, knock on wood every morning upon waking, and even at night, bring myself to say a prayer, thanking the supreme forces, for giving me another day. One more chance to watch the ocean, listen to the rumble of cars, be with those near and dear, and hopefully, give back to the world.  The fog has lifted, for awhile.

 

At 7 a.m. walking with my daughter along the edge of the beach, we found this heart made of rocks.  It reminded me how strong the human heart can really be, and how generous people are, even though as human beings we live with uncertainty of what could happen from one moment to the next.  Anticipation lingers in the air. Living is easier for some, than for others.  It really is. Sometimes we find we are the weak ones in life, and other times, the strong, and we carry and support each other when need be. Mothers and fathers lead their children by the hand as they get on the buses for the first time on these August mornings. Young people going off to college need the strength of family and friends. These are the lucky ones.  The unfortunate are those who don’t get second chances in life, for many reasons. Sometimes it’s because of the color of someone’s skin, or a singular child regardless of color, finds himself, or herself, left out.

In front of the heart made of sand, water and rocks, Carolina and I could hear and see the waves of the ocean, large and small, breaking. The tide flowed in and out. The sea, a vast body of water, works with the moon and stars.  Together they govern the movement of rivers and streams, the coming and going of storms, and the magnitude of the human spirit.  It all works like a jigsaw puzzle.  One piece dependent on the other, and we are a part of the matrix.  We can try to control as much as we want but ‘somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds still fly and the dream that you dream, may someday come true, if you so dare to wish upon a star.’ It’s not for us to know.

Listen to the waves of your beating heart, and follow the calling and message of good that comes about. If you want, play the ukulele, or the flute.  Play to your hearts content! As you play don’t worry how it sounds. Whatever you do, never forget, it’s a wonderful world – right where you stand. In the depths of the sea, on the edge of the creek, in a friend, or lover, you can find the way to be strong, and help the weak.  When you find you are weak, the strong will help you.

We can be the good that happens in the world.  We have served our purpose on this earth when we become the breaking waves, and the rolling stones that make up this heart.  In helping others, we gain strength.

A walk this evening brought wonderful light.  When I saw the cherry tree, I knew I could capture a beautiful arrangement with the cherries set against the rosy sky cast by the setting sun behind me.  Many times this cherry tree has been a foreground or a backdrop to my photos.  A tree with personality, close up it has charm.

Today was a day that started off raining like cats and dogs.  It is also the birthday of my 31 year old daughter.  This brings back sweet memories of the day she was born.  They had to take her cesarean because my labor was not progressing normally, and she was also having an irregular heartbeat.  She was so tiny, barely 6 pounds but I nursed her at the hospital for a few days and they let us take her home.  My little pumpkin I called her or ‘zapallito’ in Spanish.  To think that now she is fully grown and working hard.  Maybe someday she will have a baby of her own.

I called a friend today, my friend Lisa.  I remembered her because last year around this time she and I spent time at her little house near Newport Rhode Island by the shore.  When I called I was saddened to find that she was not at the shore because she had gotten pneumonia 2 weeks ago and is still weak.  Even though she has taken antibiotic for 6 days she says she is still not feeling well.  I sincerely hope she has a quick recovery.

This news brings the day to an end.  One of my adventures today was to go to the grocery store.  Not such an eventful outing really, but something neat happened there.  When I was checking out, the girl at the register and the one bagging were being silly and the bagger blurted out ‘Despacito’ like she was singing a Spanish song.  She said that was all she knew in Spanish.  I told them I was a Spanish teacher and they thought that was really cool.  Then on the way out of the store a woman ahead of me rang a bell to the right of her just before the doors opened to the outside.  As I approached the bell I got close to see a sign on it that read, ‘if you had a good experience shopping, ring the bell’, and so I did.  I thought what a great idea, because every time the bell rings it sends good vibes about the store, a positive energy that flows to the customer and the employees.  It must send a reinforcing message to them that they are doing a good job.  I haven’t seen anything like this before but then maybe I’ve been missing something.  What a brilliant idea.

Tomorrow is another day.  Let’s see what’s in store for this ‘highly dangerous and dysfunctional world’ we live in.  Hope to find more bells to ring.