The Big Picture

On the last day of June a friend captured some images of our place from the air. (The long green space bordered by the trees on the right and the horse ranch on the left.) It looks so small from the air, yet when on the ground it seems like the land is big. In reality we are but a speck on this great spinning planet of ours.

Travel is one way of putting everything in perspective and to get that bigger view. This summer I did  more traveling than I have done in years: a trip to the Big Sur country in California, southern Colorado in the Durango/Pagosa Springs area, and Camano Island (in the Puget Sound, north of Seattle). At the start of last week I began my morning meditations on the deck, watching the sun rise above the horizon. Sitting on the deck one of the big things I noticed is how still and quiet it is here: no wind, a few birds beginning to sing, no mechanical sounds, no people calling. Placid. All places have their own signatures. In human terms we call it culture, but in nature it is tone/texture/energy.

The character of the Big Sur country was strong and powerful with the energy of the ocean meeting land: craggy shoreline, waves and wind.

 The southern Rockies' monsoons started just after we arrived. The tone was stormy: thunder, lightning, rain. It was also about elevation (we were at 7- 10,000 feet), rocks, and the movement of water. A lot of my time was spent along the Los Pinos and Piedra Rivers... the movement and sound of water were constant.

 The Puget Sound is often a gentle lapping of waves against the pebbly beach. The movement of the moon translated into sound. The sky and water are a study in gray's until the afternoon sun adds the splash of color.





Settling in at home it was the stillness that was most significant. The creek is dried up and only today has the heat really appeared (low-90's). Most of the mornings there was little movement in the leaves of the trees. Today the heat has brought a different tone to the land, a bit harsher.

There are tones, textures, and rhythm to all of our lives. In that way, we are no different from the land. We can be self-reflective, something of which the land is not blessed (or cursed). We can ask whether we are making best use of our lives or if there is something that we need to change. The big picture is vital for that- to get some distance and see what is below us. The challenge is, how to do that? How do we actually get into a metaphorical airplane and get an aerial view of our lives? I try to do that in my writing, meditation, and periodic retreats into the wilds of nature. To be the best human beings for the world it is vital that we each find a way of getting a 40,000 foot view of our world.  Thomas Merton wrote a book, Contemplation in a World of Action and years after reading the book it still comes into my thoughts. In this world where economics has turned people into productive units, where is the time and space to contemplate, to think about the future; to reflect on the best course of action? This world is moving more quickly and speed is of the essence- yet where are we speeding toward? More, better, faster is the mantra of the consumer society. Yet it is doubtful that those three words will be listed in someone's obituary.