the ocean is a block away

yesterday morning i wandered through some trails behind my sister's house. a small forest, probably not very captivating, was clear cut to make way for ocean-view properties. it was clear enough that i could see a long stretch of untouched ocean, and just overcast enough that i couldn't fully enjoy it. life is like that sometimes. we are given places that are immensely beautiful to explore right outside out front doors, but it becomes too familiar. our boredom with our surroundings leads us to try and improve them- replacing God's artistry with human architechture. our backyards become, as donald miller puts it "the earth God meant to speak before we finished his sentence." sometimes our progress leaves little room for the words that God wants us to hear. in a sense, God speaks with us through the silence of creation, his artistry untouched by human hands. somehow we have forgotten how to listen.

the ocean was only a block away,
from the dirt filled hill overlooking suburban wasteland,
the perfect place for a monestary.
but the quiet seemed too lonely for me.

the traffic was too loud today,
passing by me, i was way too alone,
wondering if mine was a familar face to them.

my friends are all so busy today,
the reality of the holiday season.
i didn't come home to see my family.

i'm always looking for ways to not be alone,
always walking by myself.
the ocean is kinder a guest than i have been,
trying to speak kindly, while i hastened to listen.