As I write this I am sitting by the magnificent ocean hearing the reassuring music of its ever rolling waves, their constant dance of infinite glistening movements reflecting the magical sunlight shining down from a cloudless sky. The sun is still very high on this glorious late afternoon in summer. There is a feeling of total peace and goodwill in the air.
As the beach begins to empty I see the hundreds of thousands of footprints in the sand, the memory of the days events, and I know that by tomorrow the tide will have been in and erased them all, never to reappear. The ocean waves will continue to pound the beach in their song of eternity and wash away all proof of our existence leaving a blank canvas; three miles of sand waiting for the next chapter to be written and make its mark.
I am suddenly acutely aware of how transitional our lives are as visitors to this wonderful planet! In the grand scheme of things we come here for such a tiny fraction of time and then we are gone and become just a memory to those who knew us!
For me that is a wonderful example and lesson of the unimportance of the ego – that what we do here is merely our contribution to the whole; ultimately anonymous!”
Later, as I was driving away from the beach after a beautiful swim in the sea, I heard one of my all time favourite pieces of music, Brahms Symphony No 2 on Classic FM…an unexpected and delightful end to the day.
Having not heard it for some time I was transported to a magnificent land of honest and deep emotion – of total commitment of passionate expression which is so wonderfully refreshing, so reassuring, comforting and consoling. It is as though all our angst, all our searchings, all our many fears and anxieties are being held up for scrutiny by a fearless truth and explored outside the usual confines of secrecy for all to embrace and join with, like sharing a problem with a friend who then really helps you with their insights and vision.
It was a truly liberating experience and the performance was exquisite.
It took me back to the first time I had ever played Brahms, at Dartington College of Arts age seventeen, and coming in on the clarinet solo in the slow movement of the 3rd symphony… I thought I had gone to heaven! It was such a privilege to be a part of such beauty!
At the end I found myself in a wonderful reverie of hope and excitement for the future of our planet. Such feelings are always alive, always tangible in purest nature and the sea is an undeniable and committed, unconditional force of nature. Swimming in and being a part of this wonderful source of ancient times and purity is a massive gift.
I smiled as I heard Myleene Klass say that Brahms had been inspired to write this symphony after swimming in a lake at dawn every day on holiday! It made perfect sense!