While walking along a rugged ocean swept beach south of Gualala I happened across an unusual 'L- shaped' stone.
The stone was looking very much like it 'needed' to be in a word. It wanted me to help it find the other letters. But what was the word?
'Love' - was the obvious answer.
" Lucky of me to find the L " I thought, "Love comes like that."
The O was easy too.
"O for an open heart," I mused. " For originality meeting opportunity. Yes, this would be an outstanding ocean offering. There was no turning back now."
The V was not as easy. Vainly I looked. Nothing looked valid enough. All the stone shapes, like vague vestiges of virtue could not now vindicate my silly search along the beach
Vision comes with time. Mistakingly expecting what I wanted to virtually appear, just like that, in view of the variety of stones surrounding me, was vanity. I needed to learn the value of every part of the word .
And the E ?
Well it took a lot of looking too, maybe an eternity of examining every part of my rocky existence, and making every effort to enfold rather than cast off my elemental existence.
The E was a kind of emptying of myself. I almost envisioned ending the exercise empty of LOVE entirely.
But then ... Elation !!!
I found it ! And I eagerly embraced it.
And so this completed all the letters the 'L' and I 'needed' along that lonely stretch of beach that day - stoney letters to visually (and experientially) represent the seeking, the finding, and the fulfillment of being, and wanting to be - needed. LOVE