Lighthouses, The Human Need for Hope and John Mayer

Greetings! And, as always, thank you for spending some of your moments here with me as my brain goes rambling down the road to unknown destinations. I sit here in the hotel room I have lived in since New Year’s and John Mayer is on shuffle. It brought me back to still yet another “must get out of room” moment, and I took off in the car for the coast with my friend John playing in the car. He is truly one of the best artists to have blaring loudly in the car as you drive to absolutely nowhere. So I thought I would share that day with those of you who chose to stop by for a visit.

Grabbed my camera, made a sandwich, packed some grapes and stopped for a coffee and started driving west. The coastline is only about 50 miles or less from me but the road to get there is…….interesting. Pretty? Yes, but interesting

Drove down the PCH toward Mendocino and took a random right turn. Lo and behold there was a sign….

LIGHTHOUSE ———— THIS WAY —————->>>>>>>>>>

The day was INCREDIBLY windy and got worse when I got out of the car. But pulled my hoodie over my head and started walking. And walking. And walking some more.

Now, I’m not  a small person I’m 5’10” and I had some difficulty standing upright. The wind was brutal, strong To take photos I had to literally back up against something to be able to be somewhat still. The wind was cold, and cut through my Shawshank Redemption sweatshirt that I purposely leave in the trunk of the car for things and times like these. I questioned the logic of this, and should I actually do this on some windy narrow dirt path that I wasn’t even sure would lead to anything? But?

LIGHTHOUSE —————– THIS WAY ——————>>>>>>>>>> so onward I went.

Amazing the simple things that can be so beautiful if you just slow down Take that breath And notice. The fast paced and technology overload is lying to us that life is all scheduled, hectic, stressful and cluttered. The gale forced winds that were cutting through my clothes reminded me exactly of this. A sense of urgency.

Not so. Stop. Slow down. Tuck your phone in a drawer. Notice.

I kept braving the elements, head down and focusing on each step and then I looked up and saw her. My lighthouse.

I think many of us love lighthouses. They are mysterious, majestic, different, and all offer the same human element that we all crave.

Hope.

A beacon in the night. A light in the dark. A warm place to rest your soul. A strong stance, weathering the test of time, of storm, of weather, of tide. It symbolizes the endurance of the human spirit. To stand strong. To face the challenge. To realize the sun will peek her head through those storm clouds. That this storm won’t last forever, but you can do it. Yes you can You can weather the storm. We all can.

Yes lighthouses They say all those things to me. I suppose that’s why I continually find them. And continually seek them out no matter what coastline I happen to be on.

Yes, the storms come. And? They will keep coming. The waters will get choppy. The winds will try to knock you down. You will get tired. You will question whether you can get through or not. You will look around and see nothing but crashing waves.

But hold on. Baby step your way through. Borrow my life mantra of “just keep doing the next right thing”, and the waves will lessen. The storm will calm. The clouds will part.

And you will find your lighthouse.

As always, I truly thank you for stopping here at my rambling thoughts and random photography hideaway. The moments you spend here are appreciated, as they can never be replaced. Thank you for spending them here with me.

Until next time………Be kind………..Always.

Polley93