Life's Flow

Quote of the day:
“From here on out, we’ll go on living, with less clutter.”
--Larry Himmel, whose house burned down in the Witch Creek wildfire.

This afternoon Sophie and I went for a walk on Fiesta Island. It was cool and overcast, with just a few other dogs and owners there.

Fiesta Island is like an oasis. It’s a very large completely undeveloped peninsula in the middle of San Diego’s crowded Mission Bay waterfront. Sea World is just a short swim from the far corner of the island.

It’s a peaceful place. There we were, Sophie and I, running around, splashing in the water (one of us), taking in the wide open space at 4 o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon.

I imagined the thousands of people at work nearby, or on the road shuttling their kids somewhere, or just generally stressed about the endless tasks and deadlines of the day. I thought maybe I should feel guilty for not being a productive member of society.

But then I thought, who says walking around Fiesta Island at 4 in the afternoon is not a productive activity? Someone has to do it. It might as well be Sophie and me.

Then it occurred to me that this is the flow of life. So what does guilt have to do with it? What does obsession with action or obsession with idleness have to do with it?