Yesterday, despite the monotonous rain, I hiked down the seawall to 2nd Beach, wearing my hood up over my watch cap to keep dry. It was a slow walk, and there were very few pedestrians.
Like sentries keeping watch along the shoreline at widely spaced intervals, the blue herons stood at attention, wispy feathers moving slightly in the breeze, their determined masked faces set over the water. A flock of young, smaller gulls swooped and cavorted at English Bay, like a newly arrived busload of school children awaiting further instructions.
When it is wet and muggy like this, when you walk along you tend to go inward, as the gaze is not automatically drawn out into the elements. And I was deep in my thoughts as I trudged, head down, around the pool at 2nd Beach.
It was also one of those days where I was experiencing that curious emptiness and aloneness, an experience that is not always pleasant.
I could hear footsteps coming up on my left and a cheery voice spoke to me. “It’s a beautiful city…even in the rain!”
“A New York accent?” I wondered.
A tall, middle aged man wearing a toque and pea jacket passed me and almost as an afterthought, turned and said, “I live in Chicago! I don’t get up here very often.” And then he was on his way.
I imagined the snowy ambience of State Street and the frigid mid-west winter temperatures; frost on the breath and traffic pulsing at the stoplights.
Yes, Vancouver is beautiful, even in the rain and it took a stranger from many miles away to remind me!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I am so glad that I have walked up to 2nd beach with you and can remember it when you talk about the seawall. I remember the eagle that landed on the rock in the ocean on the last day we walked there like an omen from above. I knew when I left that you would not be alone but in the care of a spirit much bigger than I could imagine.
Just think! Spirit sent a guy all the way from Chicago to remind you that you are not alone!
Post a Comment