Have you ever had one of those close encounters with life that opens you up to a new awareness of possibility – one that arrives softly but then sends out breathtaking waves of insights and questions that you know will somehow significantly influence your past and future? Meeting John was like this.
I had arrived a little before first light dissolves the stars, the whole beach to myself – or so I thought. With a cadence in harmony with the gently rolling waves, I walk along the waters edge toward where the sun would soon rise. As my eyes adjusted to the ambient light I notice that in the mist blanketing the beach someone was walking toward me. Most mornings I would simply look into the faces of those passing by, warmly smile and continue on in silence. But this persons distinct sense-of-grace and lightness-of-being were fascinating. “May I walk with you awhile”, I ask when he is close enough. “Yes, of course”, he says with a big inviting smile, his unruly snow-white hair blowing across eyes the color of the sky on a crisp fall day.
For a few minutes we talked about our love of early mornings, the ocean and life in general. Then he stopped, looked at me and asked, “Why did you want to walk with me?” I barely heard the question. He had turned so the cresting sun lit up his eyes. They weren’t just brilliant blue, they felt endless and somehow different. “You have very unusual eyes”, I said. He casually replied, “Yes, they don’t see”. “What do you mean?” I said with the sound of shock quivering in my voice. “I mean, I am blind”, he said. A waterfall of questions tumbled out of me. “But how can you walk the beach without a cane or friend or seeing-eye-dog; did you ever have sight; do you miss seeing…?”
John’s laugh was as unrestrained as my questions. Still looking at me with his unseeing eyes, he reached for my hand and knew right where it was. “Cathy, every day I bless the moment I lost my sight. Yes, at first I was scared and angry, but now, when I walk the beach my feet can feel the subtle differences in the earths skin as if I were stroking my lover. My ears hear the ocean as a constantly changing symphony of a 1,000 instruments playing in perfect harmony. I can taste the nuances of the sky and smell the rich fragrances of life making love with itself. With mischief in his eyes and laugh he says, “I could sense a lovely lady walking toward me before her eyes could see me!
Shifting to a calm, deeper voice he continued, “Everyone has their blindness. I have mine. You have yours. It isn’t your enemy. It isn’t a curse. You are not lacking. It is your friend, blessing you with the perfect circumstances to become all that you feel called to become.”
Remaining hand-in-hand, we fell into silence for a time. Me, deeply moved by the grace I felt in this wisdom and the penetrating intimacy of his presence. John, savoring every little detail of these perfectly orchestrated moments, before leaving to continue his solitary walk.
Cathy Drew
SoulEssence Art
