Beautiful Day Blues

The massive orb dominates the aqua crystalline backdrop of its own making, floods its rays on everything below. The sky devoid of a single cloud seems as empty as I feel and the beach looks like an arid desert, molded by tireless wind and blazing heat. I picture myself atop an Arabian camel, parched with thirst, crossing an unforgiving series of never-ending dunes, up one and down the next, no rhyme nor reason, only the nose of the animal in front of me.

As I walk, I find my feet drawn to stepping on shells. I like the crunch under my soles and wonder what draws me to destruction. No real gain, just a crackle and a few pops beneath my Reeboks. Hmmmm.

The half-covered shiny Coors light can contrasts with the faceless dull version that lies next to it, undoubtedly washed ashore. A half-eaten fish head sits next to a huge jellyfish obviously out of place in a world far too shallow for its survival. It sways its last moments of life with each bathing wave that push it side to side as it bakes in the sun. Soggy yellow plastic, discarded cigarette butts, even a soiled diaper that for a brief moment I entertain the thought of picking up. Normally, I would have. Not today.

Walk, walk, crunch, crunch, more broken shells. I pick up a triangular orange piece that reminds me of a shark's tooth, run my fingers along its edges to its sharp point and keep pricking my index in some warped notion of martyrdom.

I glance down the beach at a lone fisherman checking his lines. What does he see on this spectacular day? Does he pay attention to anything besides his bait on the hook? Does the serenity help his quest for meaning or simply lead him from Bud to Bud? I long for the eyes of my children, the wondrous zeal that would find magic in the beat up straw hat, the buried yellow ribbon or any stick more than two feet long, an instant conductor's wand or a spear or a trumpet or a telescope. What vision might they bring to my sight? Could I shed this morose foreboding that clings to me like an oversized sweatshirt pulled too soon from the dryer, damp, heavy, with an odd, unrecognizable, unpleasant smell?

Still, the seagull and the sandpiper frolic in the surf, peck morsels from the wet sand, bob their heads up and down and chase the waves. The majestic pelicans swoop along the shore like prehistoric predators a mere foot above the surface. The flies dart back and forth, light and take off, never at rest for more than an instant. The Labrador chases a tennis ball. The infant waddles to wet her toes. The white-haired snowbird stoops to collect a sand dollar. A crab peeks out of his hole only to retreat back in again.

Me, I walk and crunch shells, walk and crunch shells, a case of beautiful day blues?

That's A View From The Ridge...

About The Author

Author Ridgely Goldsborough invites you to subscribe to The Daily Column, a heart-felt collection of stories that inspire hope and courage. Please do so at www.aviewfromtheridge.com.

ridge@aviewfromtheridge.com

---

The Interactive Holodeck is For Real

[Channelled]'Interact,' is a common word that most of you are... Read More

Charge Your Imagination (3)

As we progress into the year, it is necessary for... Read More

Experiences in My Life Prompted Me to Never Give Up

Many people think that their life is a disaster that... Read More

Top 20 Love Quotations

"In real love you want the other person's good. In... Read More

Personal Philosophy is Like The Set of The Sail

We have all experienced the blowing winds of disappointment, despair... Read More

Brilliant Autumn: Reaping a Bounteous Harvest

"But if in your thought you must measure time into... Read More

H-U-G-S -------The More You Give----The More You Get!

How many of us couldn't use a hug on a... Read More

Navigating The Squeeze

Today more than ever before, we are witnessing a crises... Read More

All Is Going Well?

The true test in life does not occur when all... Read More

Numbers

Direct Answers - Column for the week of May 19,... Read More

Beluga Whale Hits the River

Wonders never cease. Just when those in our area of... Read More

What Is Your Real Worth?

Consider this. If it is possible to quote you as... Read More

Good-Bye Yesterday, Hello Today

Many of us are unable to move forward with our... Read More

You Can Make a Difference

When I study of world these days, I see a... Read More

Spirits Language: How to Tell Whos Who in Your Inner Conversations

Your Spirit is continuously beaming communications to you. As long... Read More

The Essence Of Freedom

Life is too hard and too risky in the eyes... Read More

Wake-Up Call

Direct Answers - Column for the week of October 7,... Read More

Where Do You Go For Your Intellectual Feast?

(excerpted from Leading an Inspired Life)Pity the man who has... Read More

Jerrys Yo-Yo

The blaring sound leapt under Jerry's skin and strangled him... Read More

Adversity, What Is It Good For?

As I sat down to write this article, I was... Read More

A Pickup Line

Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 11,... Read More

Self Acceptance ? Lessons From My Hair Affair

For our diet and, indeed, in every aspect of our... Read More

Why Anyone Can Be Prosperous

In nature, when the season is right, all things flourish... Read More

Believe in Yourself!

A near middle-aged man in one of my last workshops... Read More

Giving Can Overcome Language Differences

I recently had to take a trip to Germany. It... Read More

Love Thy Neighbor

I would like to take a moment to write about... Read More

You Are The One, There is No One Else

At the time I created my web site, I was... Read More

The 5 Fortunes Within

What could be nearer to us than our own selves.... Read More

Work In Progress: 10 Benefits of Not Knowing It All

1. You can relax and enjoy your life more if... Read More

Blessings for the Soul

In Corrogue I count my Blessings.These are numerous. There is... Read More

Following Through

Direct Answers - Column for the week of March 24,... Read More

Confidence Building Steps That Work Like Crazy!

Self-confidence is your assessment of your own self-worth. It plays... Read More

War, Disasters and All is Well

It is not very often that I have an issue... Read More