Look Around
A few weeks ago, I was at Dunnet Bay to witness the wonder of an almost full solar eclipse. As cars filled the parking lot and people walked towards the beach with their eclipse glasses, I was struck by the quiet sense of awe shared among us. Peace descended on the bay as the moon covered the sun and the light dimmed over the sea, leaving a faint white sparkle on the rippling waters. People spoke in hushed tones, aware of the uniqueness of the event. A stillness came upon us all, and then as the moon passed over and the evening brightened, we gradually returned to our activities.
It was a privilege to witness this very rare phenomena of the sky with others. For that brief moment we experienced togetherness, a communion of serenity and wonder I will not forget.
‘…To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal…’
(Child Harold’s Pilgrimage, Lord Byron)
There are a myriad of unique and awe-inspiring celestial shows to look at in every season. The sky is an ongoing display of its own each and every day. This is one thing that really impacted me when I first came over to Caithness from Canada - the expanse of the firmament and the drama that can unfold before our eyes as we look from our windows or doorsteps. Here in the far north of Scotland, as the evenings draw in, September tends to be the start of more dramatic splendours of colour and light.
A couple of weeks post eclipse, I was invited on a walk through Dunnet Forest, just across from the bay. I hadn’t been there for a long time, and despite pending rain, we set off on the trails through the trees, benefitting from the shelter that the long and needled branches provided. The moment we stepped out of the car and set foot on the path was the moment we left behind the responsibilities and worries of the day and entered a space of release and intrigue. There is a stillness in the forest, and as we went further amongst the pine trees, the peace was tangible. The children climbed some of the logs or ran off the path into the more wooded areas leaving my friend and I to chat and take in the details of fungi and the Noble Fir trees. One of the boys ran up with half of a Noble Fir seed cone the size of his fist. I had never seen one up close before. To hold this seed pod and ponder what it could become is nothing short of miraculous.
I felt so revived on returning home after that special adventure and echo the words of Byron:
There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
…
Reading on, Byron relays the reality of a nature so vast it can silence both guilt and grief.
I believe these moments are just as important as our daily tasks and work. Without them, we are poorer.
William H.Davies relays this sentiment in his poem Leisure:
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.'
These experiences in the created world allow us the freedom to be ourselves, to make room for curiosity. They bring us to a place of humility, acceptance, and gratitude. It only takes a moment to look up, or step out into nature, and through doing so we are richer.
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