Moonlight

 I went down to the end of my dock on a quiet summer evening and sat down, dangling my bare feet in the tepid water. There was just a hint of a breeze blowing softly across the lake. Just enough wind breathing to make some miniature ripples, but not enough to ruin the calmness. It was cloudy and quite dark when I walked down there, but suddenly the clouds parted, and the light from an almost full moon shown down as if to say,” let’s put a little light on the subject.” That light that had me so mesmerized, shining like an illuminated pathway from the distant shore, and across the lake, was culminating at the end of my dock like a heavenly beacon. It was almost as if its glow was beckoning me to just slip into the depths and follow the yellow brick road. I thought of the words of Kurt Vonnegut when he said, “The very edge of anything from a rivulet to an ocean says to me: now you know where you are. Now you know which way to go.” 

I had gone down there to clear my mind, as all of us have to do from time to time.  Sometimes our thought process needs to search for solutions we sense are there, but are hiding just beyond our grasp. The only way we can effectively do that is to shut out the rest of the world for a brief time, and focus on whatever it is we are trying to understand. My grandfather was a minister and he used to always say about the people he brought into his flock, that they saw the light. I was never sure what light he was referring too, all I know is that night on the dock that celestial light was so comforting, and so peaceful, and it helped me find my answer and more. Had I found the light?

I think our lights and quiet places come in many shapes and forms. It may be in prayer in church, it may be in quiet reflection walking down a country lane. It might come on the end of my dock and it may be at a quiet place in a wood’s or a park. It could be at a special time when you sit in a rocker and bury your nose in your sleeping newborn, grandchild’s hair, or when you just take your wife’s hand and give her that little smile that says, “ After all of these years, you know all to well what I’m thinking don’t you?”

Whatever the place or the time, we all need a quiet pond from time to time. We are so lucky up here in the lakes and woods, because that calm seems to be inherent, and not that hard to find. That is if you can just take time out of your busy life to look for it. There needs to be a part of every day that’s set-aside just for you. That’s how we find ourselves, and that’s how we get to know who we really are. As families and friends, we need to recognize how important this is to each of us, and learn how to help each other find peace and happiness in our lives. We need to remember that happiness is found in who you are, not what you do, or how much you have. Happiness my friends is a state of mind.