It seemed like there was nobody on the road either. It was a peaceful zen drive. The little bit of sunlight that managed to diffuse through the fog made it clear that the sun would soon call it a day.
And then all of a sudden, the fog lifted. The colors of the sky were divine even for this atheist. I moved over to the slow lane so that I could drive at a leisurely pace and enjoy the scenery.
It became even more charming and I slowed down even more. The railroad tracks between the highway and the river, with the colors of the setting sun on the horizon. I decided that life was not worth it, and it was not worth driving, if I didn't stop to take it all in.
Hazards on. I checked the temperature--40 degrees. I pulled over to the shoulder. Stopped. Got out of the vehicle.
The cold wind felt like the warm embrace of a friend. Everything looked and felt friendly. I grabbed my camera.
A few minutes later, I was back in the vehicle, and resumed the drive home.
As we rush through life, I suppose not often do we pause to appreciate the very life we live. The people we see and meet. The flowers. The smells. The foods. At least the river seems to know where it is rushing towards; what do we know!
Earlier this evening, I decided to play vinyls on the turntable and read sitting on the cold floor there. As music filled the room, the home, and my mind, my hand reached out for a book that I had long forgotten--a collection of 500 poems. It was a coincidence, and a sheer delight, when I came across this poem, which convinces me that pulling over by the freeway side to stand and stare was the best thing I could have ever done that evening.
I wish you a rich life of standing and staring.
- What is this life if, full of care,
- We have no time to stand and stare.
- No time to stand beneath the boughs
- And stare as long as sheep or cows.
- No time to see, when woods we pass,
- Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
- No time to see, in broad daylight,
- Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
- No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
- And watch her feet, how they can dance.
- No time to wait till her mouth can
- Enrich that smile her eyes began.
- A poor life this if, full of care,
- We have no time to stand and stare
2 comments:
Lovely poem. What is the life if we keep rushing all the time. Better to retire and take in the scenery :):)
Fog Fog go away
Come again another day
Little Khe has stopped on the way
Fog Fog go away.
Yeah, with you it is the proverbial preaching to the choir ;)
The fog is gone now. We are hoping it would rain. We are way below average. California's is so much below the average precipitation levels that the governor has declared a drought emergency there.
So, compose a ditty for the rains ;)
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