Day 176 Rhythms

June 3, 2015

(This is part of a 365 project during my 70^th years where I write and illustrate a blog on each day’s gift.)

Life has an ebb and flow and its rhythms are most keenly observed in nature. I started my 365 gifts observations in December, a week after my father died, as the days were growing shorter and colder. I watched the migration of chipping sparrows then and now they have returned. Then I crunched dried brown leaves on my walks in the park and now the dandelions and clover cushion my footsteps. Then I smelled neighborhood wood fireplaces in the chill and now I smell honeysuckle. Now the spring days are growing longer. How I love the seasons, the change and the return, the coming and the going.

Nothing remains the same and nothing changes. Nightly, the moon changes imperceptibly yet returns another month. Seasons leave us but return, bringing a comfort and balance. Perhaps this is part of what happiness is—not so much a strong feeling of euphoria but a sense of harmony. 

I am reminded of the rhythm today as I walk on the beach at Downs Park, listen to the steady undulating sound of the waves and watch the changing ripples of the Chesapeake Bay along the shore. At this moment, I feel the waves, the beating of my heart and the ticking of time, all in synch with one another. Then I remember that nothing remains the same and I cling to this season, this moment, this wave and I feel the ebb and flow of my breath.

My gift today is ebb and flow.

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> Day 177: Suppose

You can find links to my other posts on this project here:

http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html