Coastline Pilot

2 January 2004

 

Chasing the Muse

Catharine Cooper  

 

 

Latitude:  33° 33' N   

Longitude:  117° 47' W

 

Pacific Coast : rocky with sand covered beaches, dolphins, seals, and assorted sea birds.  Beach strollers ply the coastline, sharing their hunger for the shore.

 

Yes.  Home.

 

The holiday season passes from one of animated anticipation, to one of rote cleanup and renewal.  2004 has opened her arms, and we are firmly gripped by the calendar’s change.  What can we bring to this New Year?  What can we give that is of and beyond ourselves?   To what resolutions can we make a commitment? 

 

Last year, I opened my life to the pursuit of greater understanding and patience.  As you might expect, I was put to the test.  Quick judgments were tossed to the mat.  The concept of tight scheduling was re-evaluated.  What I believed to be true was replaced by a hunger to know more of the underlying substance of both people and events.  I was forced to step beyond verisimilitude, and search for verity.  The opportunity to integrate an altered perception continues to challenge and reward my sensibilities.

 

This year, what to tackle?  As usual, there is not linear path to what my heart/mind decides to embrace.  Rather, a trickle of an intuitive sense slips through the conscious seams and whispers in the back of my head.

 

Accuracy and speed are the words that have continued to play in my psyche, and so, without further questioning, it is to these that I will devote the calendar year.   I laughed mightily when ‘speed’ raised her banner. Of course, on the heels of learning more patience, why wouldn’t I want some tool to free myself from the constraints that ‘waiting’ had put upon me.  Constant delays have sorely taxed my good humor, but I have learned in the waiting to listen more clearly and breath more softly.

 

So why ‘speed’?  The dictionary offers several iterations, ranging from what appears obvious, the ability to make something happen sooner or more quickly, to the more rewarding definition, that of causing prosperity, in both one’s own life, and that of others. Now, who can argue with that?

 

A further, or more informal definition expands the meaning of speed to that of matching someone’s tastes, abilities or inclinations.  I can see that there is much work for me within this arena.

 

As to accuracy, my intention is not as simplistic as balancing my checkbook.  Accuracy ties clearly to the heels of my previous search for greater understanding.  Are my perceptions accurate?  Is what I believe correct, truthful and precise?  Is the information I have and/or disseminate free from errors?  Can I flesh out a method in my own work that is more refined and clearly honed?  What within this framework can I utilize to enhance my imagery and writing?  Accuracy and truth tied together in the physical, emotional and spiritual realm.  I like this as a foundation for creation.

 

My co-columnist, Emma, cried “Oh, no .. not speed!”  when I announced my intentions.  We tend to absorb each other’s resolutions, and were already panting on our morning jaunt to Seal Rock, jammed with too much pre-holiday scurry to enjoy anything that resembled a stroll.  I tried to assure her that this did not mean cramming more things into each day, but rather, a way of working, tied to accuracy, which would insure more free time, and less time tying down loose ends.  I’m not sure she believed me.  In any case, I can’t know the outcome without embracing and trusting the process, so into the fray I will have stepped.

 

For the New Year’s celebration, I am somewhere in Baja (some places do need to remain secret), sequestered on a remote and lovely beach, with friends Lynn, James, Emma, Mike and Steve.  I’ve spent days paddling the Sea of Cortez, waltzing with dolphins, Egret and Osprey.  Yes, I am an addict to the sea.  My parents insured that when they planted me in Laguna at age eight. 

 

I wish all of you the prosperity buried within the definition of speed, and full wishes for a spiritually rich and bountiful 2004.

 

Catharine Cooper loves wild places.  She can be reached at ccooper@cooperdesign.net or 949 497 5081.