Of Songs and Oceans
I noticed this evening, as we drove home, that the Jacaranda trees are coming into bloom in our neighbourhood. Their presence, with that peculiarly perfect shade of purple which I’ve written about before, adds a wonderful splash of colour to the streets around Los Angeles at this time of year. These trees encourage me to smile in recognition of the good fortune we have to live in our beautiful corner of the world.
We escaped from the confines of our house earlier in the day. With it being Mother’s Day in the US we did what we always do on festive days here. We packed up our beach belongings and the dog, piled into the car and drove down South towards our favourite stretch of beach, reopened a few days ago, where dogs run free and frolic in the surf with their humans.
We walked along the bluff, comfortably content amidst an atmosphere of friendly happiness. People were out and about, behaving with careful consideration for each other. And then, the ocean! Whenever I am by the Pacific I instantly remember how tiny my usual worries and concerns really are. Something about the vastness of the open water and the endless palette of blues I think. Today the dog bounded around happily with my husband and son, in pursuit of the tennis ball, grinning from ear to ear, while my daughter and I paddled. We skirted along the edge, running in and running out of the water and I felt the power of the rip tide which my husband had warned me about. Somehow, the energy of the ocean seemed to mirror what I have felt around me for some days now; as if that restless American free spirit was haunting the waves; hurling itself relentlessly through the surf and crashing against the sand. It’s a spirit that won’t tolerate being ignored for long.
As I sat on the sand afterwards, watching a castle appear before me, I felt an expansiveness unfurl in the air within and without. Being outdoors, carefree and surrounded by others- at a safe distance of course- I reflected on how crucial the fact of our connection with others is. We depend upon each other in so many vital and unexplored ways. If these few weeks have shown my foolish mind anything at all it is this, that we really and truly need the maelstrom and hurly burly of our usual everyday lives. Without them we are stifled, lacking a proper training ground for true kindness and care for one other.
We drove home later with contented children sleeping in the back and listened to the newly released songs from Rough and Rowdy Ways. I’m so happy to have this experience once again. The discovery of a phrase crafted with bewitchment, a line that fires a thousand images or a refrain that awakens a sadness at once joyful and deeper than tears. A sadness which knows that our shared dream experience, which can burn brighter than the lamp of a thousand suns, will with time fade away into the beginning of a bright new day.
