The summer weather pattern is in full force with the sea breeze at Pensacola this morning roaring into Atlanta by dinner. And what happens?
OR
There was a time in my life when the second interpretation had greater importance. In the early days I peeled experiences in much the same way one would peel an onion for the day's salad. A single event changed my approach. I was with a close friend at the summit of Capulin Volcano in northeastern New Mexico. We were washed in a glorious sunset, a full pallet of color with crepuscular rays overhead and reaching near the horizon. It was a holy event. At once I began a discourse on volcanic landscapes and regional geography interspersed with comments on physics and meteorological phenomena. I didn't get far. After no more than a minute my friend said, "Shut up and look." That was more than forty years ago. Our friendship survived the abrupt lesson but unfortunately not the mobility, marriages and career paths over those years.
I can still peel that onion when necessary, but do a lot of quiet looking and listening these days. What a joy it has been to appreciate wholeness and its aesthetic. And I never enjoy a vivid sunset without thinking of that evening and its valuable life lesson.
 |
| Capulin Volcano (National Monument) Folsom, New Mexico |
Photo: Mike Schoonover, 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment