Visio Divina

I left the house a little before 6:00 and it looks like it is going to be a beautiful morning. Before dawn, it looked pretty cloudy but now things look like they are clearing up nicely. I start off with a 9.8 mile run. As I head toward the harbor along the bluff over the Strand, the water looks utterly serene and smooth. I pretty much know what the water temperature is since I was in it less than a day ago and I imagine myself there now and how nice it must be and I’m excited that I will be there again in just a couple hours.

The run is great. I do my usual run to the Wind and Sea, over the island and back via Cove Road and then I somehow have another 20 minutes at my disposal so I run up to Salt Creek and back via the Strand. I see the Sunday morning swimmers just passing the point and some stragglers possibly part of a different group in front of the north end of Strands.

I run up the middle stairs and I see the stop where the free beach shuttle drops off its passengers. It is not the other end of the parking lot like I had thought but down at the bottom of the housing community at the base of the steps leading down to the beach. There are still stairs to contend with but this is a seriously easier walk that the long stairway from the parking lot above.

I’m in my trunks and heading towards the shore at 7:50 which is about 5 minutes later than I’d like but not a big deal. I just move at a light jog down the stairs. The Sunday swimmers are just coming into shore now. We discuss our favorite topic (or maybe it’s just mine) - water temperature - and agree that it is quite nice. One swimmer mentions that there is not much in the way of wildlife and the visibility is pretty poor. That was the case yesterday too.

I get in the water and it hasn’t changed much (if any) from yesterday. It’s quite wonderful. I head south and the light is beautiful. There is plenty of blue sky and lots of light and loose clouds that seem to be most dominant in the southwestern corner of the sky. Looking north towards Laguna, I can see the sun hit the faces of the cliffs and gives them a little extra sharpness and detail.

About half way down the beach, I pause and look around me. I’m just starting to resume my swim when I hear a huffing noise. This often ends up being nothing and possibly a figment of my imagination but it is loud and unmistakable today. Sure enough, there is a small pod of dolphins swimming right for me. They are swimming south and pass me just about five feet to my west. Wow. So much for no wildlife. I can now see no other living thing for the remainder of the swim and be perfectly satisfied. This is good because that is pretty much just what happens.

I reach the south end of the beach and turn around to head north. For the entire north bound leg, I am transfixed on the horizon. This becomes a sort of exercise in visio divina, an ancient form of contemplative prayer where one encounters the divine through sights and images. I focus on the ephemeral blue sky just above the water’s edge and seek to connect with it on a deep and nonverbal level. The borders and shape of the clear sky and the vaporous clouds around it are constantly changing, but the blue is always there and everywhere. It gives and it gives and it gives. I feel my heart warm as I stare into this. I feel eternally supported and sustained by the sky that is always in front of me.

Eventually, the clouds at the edge of the sky seem to take up more space and I’m just seeing white above the water. I shift my focus to the depths of the water beneath me. While there really is not much to see, what I do see is crystal clear and vast and seems to just go on without end. Of course I am aware that in reality, it doesn’t go on very far. I’m probably in about 15 to 20 feet of water but it might as well be 1000 feet right now. I just see shades of blue and green below and around me. I can make out faint clouds where the shades slightly change and some that are not so faint where the stalks of kelp rise from the bottom.

I’m getting close to the north end and my arms are getting pretty tired. Come to think of it, my whole body is pretty spent but I also feel great. I take a few pics at the northern turn around point. Eventually I temporarily lift my goggles and I am amazed at the increase in vibrance and clarity. This prompts me to wipe out my goggles and it’s like I have had cataracts removed. This is so much better and what I am seeing in front of me is so full of color and vitality.

I head to end the swim and see a couple other swimmers moving in the opposite direction. I must say if there were any day that could justify a crowd of swimmers, it would be today. The conditions and this water is so stellar. However I am always amazed at the sparce number of swimmers here.

Just as I am finishing up, a set of waves comes in and rolls be around the shallows just in front of the shore - it’s great. I get out and head up the stairs. I just can’t bring myself to pick up the pace to a jog but I think I’m moving fast enough. I hit the shower and it is warm. Someone passes by and comments on how great these showers are. He says he lives “up the hill” and uses them every morning and night. This is also my primary shower on swim days. Why would I want to soap the ocean off of me? Well it’s good to see my local tax dollars offsetting my water bill.