The Island Life

The sun has melted into the ocean, the kids are sleeping.  I make my way to the community pier, glass of wine in hand.  I take in all that is around me and take inventory of my senses.  Sight; thousands of stars, very similar to what I see at my home in Colorado outside of the city, a lady and her dog, puddles on the road educating me that it has rained while I was inside, unaware.  Smell; the salt air and a slight fishy smell from the seafood restaurant down the street.  Touch; the humidity embraces me as I walk towards that pier, as I approach I find the wood cool and wet, a cool November breeze blows through my hair although I still wear shorts and a t-shirt.  Hearing; conversations on a nearby dock, a dolphin coming up for air...I can't see it in the dark, but I know it's there, night herons screeching as they begin their nightly hunt for fish.  Taste; the wine is sweet, yet dry and the saltiness in the air.  I approach the pier, dismayed to see others have scoped out my spot before me.  I await in the shadows until they depart.  With a quick hello, I make my way to the end of the pier and listen to the gentle waves of the bay lapping on the shore.  I breathe, listen, and feel...

On my way back from the pier I have a whole different experience.  I observe the houses around me.  Panes of glass flank whole sides of multimillion dollar homes to view the beautiful bay and the people inside are facing away, gazing only at 56 inch flat screen televisions, watching Monday Night Football or the latest movie On Demand.  No one is out appreciating the beauty of this November night.  They are confined to their homes with their technology and their air conditioning.  I too am guilty of taking nature for granted when I am home.  It takes vacation to appreciate it.  A vacation to my childhood summers, a vacation to my parents' soon to be every day life that most people dream of, but never achieve.  I caught myself saying tonight, if I lived here, I'd come down to the beach every night I'm at home to watch the sunset.  Would I?  Would I watch sunrises from the pier with my coffee and a meditative mind?  I hope so.