It might seem counterintuitive, but sometimes I have to look for peace. Peace, which for me is a quiet of soul more than it is a lack of noise or mess, can easily get lost in the chaos of life. This means I have to intentionally seek it out, especially when life plops me in a situation ripe for reflection and soul-rest.
That’s what happened this week. Work took me to California to attend a training event with a group of other Chaplains from my denomination. I arrived around noon on Sunday, picked up my rental car, and got checked into my hotel. Part of me just wanted to sit in the room and read or watch Netflix. Sometimes just being alone can bring peace to an introvert’s soul.
But I was also only 25 minutes from Newport Beach and the vast expanse of the Pacific. I brought my Fugifilm X100F with me on the trip thinking I might get a chance to take some pictures. Despite being tired, I jumped in my janky little Nissan Versa rental and drove down to the beach.
For a while I just walked out on the pier and watched the water and the people playing in the warm sun. I thought about snapping a few pictures, but the light wasn’t right. I debated about staying for sunset and decided to stay. Not just for the pictures but for the peace. Have you ever watched the sun sink slowly toward the horizon of the Pacific? There’s nothing quite like that view.
I picked a spot on the beach and sat down. I snapped a few pictures of the pier as the light changed.
Nothing special about the pictures, but the light was starting to look magnificent.
Then…it happened. The waiting paid off as the sun set behind a bank of clouds. The wait was worth it.
And there it was. I didn’t realize until I got back to my room and was editing on my iPad that I had not just a sunset picture, but a picture with a distant boat slowly traversing the horizon. As I edited the picture and saw the final result, I was struck that not only had I found a few moments of peace on the shoreline of the Pacific, but had managed to capture a photo that helps me recapture some of those same feelings every time I look at it.
Photos are weird like that. The really good ones can take you to a different time and a different place. They can MAKE you feel. This picture does that for me. I found peace not just in observing a beautiful sunset, but also in a photo I captured of the event.
This photo is now the background on my phone, and every time I pause to look at it, it reminds me of quiet, beauty, and peace.
Where do you go to find peace?