A MAN SAID TO THE UNIVERSE, "SIR, I EXIST,"
"HOWEVER", REPLIED THE UNIVERSE, "THE
FACT HAS NOT CREATED IN ME A SENSE OF
OBLIGATION".
~STEVEN CRANE~
Some years ago when my work required a fair amount of travel, I was on a temporary assignment in Northern California. (And I mean NORTHERN), as I don't consider as many do, the San Francisco Bay area as being northern California. To give you some perspective, it takes about 7 or 8 hours to drive from Los Angeles along Interstate 5 to San Francisco. Then headed north from there, it's another 6 or so hours up the coast on Hwy 101 to Eureka, California. This particular place was the small Humboldt County community of Arcata. Nestled along the Pacific Ocean and the magnificent Coast Redwood trees. This California North coast is by far my most favorite place in the entire country.
On my days off during this particular assignment, I often hopped into the rental car provided and took off to explore the surrounding area. On one particularly beautiful August morning, (July though September being the driest and sunniest months in an otherwise fairly wet climate) I made my way up through those very awesome Redwoods west along a short stretch of golden hilly farmland out to the coast (beach) where one can stop along any point on the road and catch a glimpse of the migrating California Grey Whales.
Continuing south I entered what was called on my little road map, the California Lost Coast. And If I had thought for a moment that I had been transported to a different planet when I first sat eyes upon those humongous Redwoods, then I was in total 'nirvana' when I came upon this stretch of 'black sand' beach. But if you take a closer look you'll see that it's really not typical sand as we see on most beaches at all. Through some sort of ancient geologic process and weathering and erosion, they are tiny black pebbles worn to almost the consistency of fine grain sand.
What held me in awe was the rather striking contrast between the jet black sand and the snow white surf kissing the shore. I parked and set off walking and marveling at the beauty before me and the sounds of the heavy surf breaking against the shoreline. I walked for what seemed like miles without ever seeing another human nor even a trace that humans had ever been in residence there. And as I sat there wiggling my toes through that shiny black sand, I recalled the feeling I had when I first read a poem by Steven Crane in High School. 'A Man said to the Universe'. It made me realize that although I am a unique individual among many others, I am by no means the 'center' of the world. Just one member of the human species among countless other species who inhabit this great earth together. And what a tremendously loving being our creator is to have come up with such a creation.
"HOWEVER", REPLIED THE UNIVERSE, "THE
FACT HAS NOT CREATED IN ME A SENSE OF
OBLIGATION".
~STEVEN CRANE~
Some years ago when my work required a fair amount of travel, I was on a temporary assignment in Northern California. (And I mean NORTHERN), as I don't consider as many do, the San Francisco Bay area as being northern California. To give you some perspective, it takes about 7 or 8 hours to drive from Los Angeles along Interstate 5 to San Francisco. Then headed north from there, it's another 6 or so hours up the coast on Hwy 101 to Eureka, California. This particular place was the small Humboldt County community of Arcata. Nestled along the Pacific Ocean and the magnificent Coast Redwood trees. This California North coast is by far my most favorite place in the entire country.
On my days off during this particular assignment, I often hopped into the rental car provided and took off to explore the surrounding area. On one particularly beautiful August morning, (July though September being the driest and sunniest months in an otherwise fairly wet climate) I made my way up through those very awesome Redwoods west along a short stretch of golden hilly farmland out to the coast (beach) where one can stop along any point on the road and catch a glimpse of the migrating California Grey Whales.
Continuing south I entered what was called on my little road map, the California Lost Coast. And If I had thought for a moment that I had been transported to a different planet when I first sat eyes upon those humongous Redwoods, then I was in total 'nirvana' when I came upon this stretch of 'black sand' beach. But if you take a closer look you'll see that it's really not typical sand as we see on most beaches at all. Through some sort of ancient geologic process and weathering and erosion, they are tiny black pebbles worn to almost the consistency of fine grain sand.
What held me in awe was the rather striking contrast between the jet black sand and the snow white surf kissing the shore. I parked and set off walking and marveling at the beauty before me and the sounds of the heavy surf breaking against the shoreline. I walked for what seemed like miles without ever seeing another human nor even a trace that humans had ever been in residence there. And as I sat there wiggling my toes through that shiny black sand, I recalled the feeling I had when I first read a poem by Steven Crane in High School. 'A Man said to the Universe'. It made me realize that although I am a unique individual among many others, I am by no means the 'center' of the world. Just one member of the human species among countless other species who inhabit this great earth together. And what a tremendously loving being our creator is to have come up with such a creation.
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