The Sea

We all have times when some intangible part of us needs to be soothed—whether we call that the heart or the soul or the mind, etc. & we all need ways of being soothed; some like to cook, some like to exercise, some like to take quiet walks, some—like me—love to play guitar or some other instrument. These ways & others like them all seem pretty positive; of course, there are destructive ways that some of us have sought this heart’s ease, too—sadly, those ways don’t ever seem to work in the long run. That’s my experience at least.

There are also landscapes, I believe, that can bring this heart’s ease. For some, it’s the mountains in winter; for others, the open space of the rangeland. Some find joy & peace in the bustle of a city neighborhood—its markets, its shops, its streets & buildings; other find it in a farmhouse. For me, the most soul-nurturing landscapes have always involved water in general, & the ocean in particular. I’ve written about this before, so today rather than elaborate points I’ve made before, I’m posting a slideshow of photos Eberle & I took at the Oregon coast last fall. The background music is an untitled guitar piece I composed last summer. The word “composed” is used somewhat loosely here, because nothing was ever written down. This is just an improvisation on a chord progression that’s odd but actually quite simple.

Hope you find the music & images peaceful on this Sunday afternoon.