The beach that I am staying at has an interesting blend of white coral stone mixed with red lava rocks. A mixture of life and death. The flowing fires of the earth clashing with the constant growth of life on the bottom of the sea floor. I considered the constant strain of life to exist and survive in a world of strife.
I grabbed a handful of gravel from the shore and even that handful was a spectrum of a much smaller contrast between the remnants of ancient fire and a myriad of species clinging to the small isle in the middle of the pacific.
This caused me to think about my impact on life itself, how small and insignificant, yet equally important. Life propels forward through the efforts of each individual life form, working in contention, but also in harmony. A marvelous ecosystem of inner dependence. A handful of gravel, or the macro view of an entire landscape illustrates this with detailed extravagance or broad sweeping strokes.
I find myself rather exuberance at being alive, having a chance to find struggle. To feel the strain and pressure of trying to propel my individual life form forward, and in some small way participating in a much grander struggle. I will die, now doubt. I am heading that direction, whether I like it or not. However, I can do what I can to grow, to produce something unique and beautiful. The hope that one day, my essence can be as this small stone of white coral. A monument to a life well lived, surrounded by millions of others, all strewn about in a wild cacophony of fire and death.
Guy Reams
