Thursday 21 April 2016

solitude

It's quiet here at the beach...
save the sound of falling leaves,
of birds chirping, of a dog barking,
and the crackling underfoot
with each step I took
For several days now as I stood at the entrance to my office, I kept gazing at a few trees fronting the beach. Their colours had made it seemed like autumn here in the tropics.

I guess not many people can say they have the South China Sea for an office view and a horizon that gives me all at once, the sight of a popular beach boasting incredibly beautiful sunsets ranked among the best in the world; trees that grew wherever nature dictated each to take root, and many varieties of awesome looking birds that had made this place their home. I am, I think one of the more fortunate ones to be coming to such a place to work daily. And I'm grateful.

For nature and anything in their natural state is what I like and enjoy a lot. Wild trees that just simply grow into each other, one here, one there, everywhere, with no seeming reason or rhyme, and no human interference; is actually, beautiful... and early morning tiny  dew drops on blades of grass, puddles that form after the rain, undisturbed beaches that are shaped by the sea and oh, so much more... Nature is priceless. Indeed, it is a priceless gift from the Creator. And it is, I have discovered, for me, one of the best places to find solitude.

Contrary to common thinking, solitude is not being lonely or being in a state of loneliness. It is a place we all need to seek to be in often. It is a state of "purposeful getting away from..." whatever that is that drains you mentally and emotionally. A place of having quietness and peace in your soul. A place of refreshing before facing again the daily walk of your life.

Solitude in the midst of nature, to me as a Christian, is one of those times of close communion with my God, the One who created it all. Yes, I am conscious of His presence in my life each day, every hour and moment, and can talk with Him any time, in whatever place or circumstance I'm in, yet there is something really special when I choose to come away from the busy, demanding schedule of my life to just relax, taking time to appreciate the beauty around and converse with Him as I stroll along.
"Come away..." (Song of songs 2:10,13) is an invitation of old to each of us from the Ancient of days (Daniel 7:9,13,22) and the most well known Psalm, chapter 23 is a picture of rest and restoration for our souls in a place of green pastures and quiet waters in the presence of God, our good Shepherd. 

So at the close of yet another day of work, I decided to leave my office and headed towards the inviting colours of autumn outside the fence. The ground was already covered in a thick carpet of dried leaves of brown, rusty red, orange and yellow. The only green I saw were new grass peeking out from in between those leaves. If this was anyone's front yard, there would already be raking going on and piling up of these leaves to be thrown away. But here they are left naturally to eventually dissolve into the soil.
There were still many colourful leaves on those trees but every few moments, I could hear the sound of a twig breaking as a leaf broke loose and gently danced its way to the ground. It was quiet except for the soft sound of these falling leaves against the chirping of birds flying around the foliage.
Before long, perhaps by next week, these trees will be bare. But meanwhile on this late afternoon sunny day, standing underneath them, I let myself enjoy the sounds and sights around me. It was as it were, moments in time... hearing the crackling sound of dried leaves under my feet and the faint sound of the waves hitting the shore; seeing the rays of the sun streaming through the branches and the swaying of coconut trees in the gentle breeze...it was a delight to be there.

After a short while, it was time to return to my office... when suddenly, as if on cue, a lone white dog appeared out of nowhere and started barking at me! Perhaps because I was an unfamiliar intrusion into its usual space. But it's barking did not bother me... I already had my little solitude that day, and ready to close the beach gate, pack up my stuff and head for home. 

1 comment:

  1. Season come, and season go...1 week ago those 3 trees were still full of the "colour autumn" & today I saw that all their colourful leaves have turned dark brown & decaying on the ground while their branches have sprouted new small tender light green leaves, an image of "spring"! In comparison, I guess I'm more an "autumn person", I prefer the vibrant colours...

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