Beauty in Silence

The clouds cast their shadows, shaping the greenery into muted colors and grey sentiments. Yet it was not to deter my good friends, who exclaimed that the day was still one for exploration and a walk. In that moment my vision board stuck out in my mind, black and white photos on a poster board and great emphasis of a man jumping over a small desert ravine. So I joined regardless of the weariness of my thoughts, met quickly with the scent of fresh rainfall and light sap as the door shut behind me. The journey would take us a small way, departing from a cabin overlooking the forests to a sea-side island where we could look out upon the ocean. Each step was time enough to absorb the moment, as nothing but an expanse of green met my eyes; a combination of trees and shrubs, flowering berry bushes and twinkling flower petal swaying in a light breeze. It did not take us long to reach the island, yet it took us an eternity to leave. It first came from the exclamation of life, a pointed finger, and tracing the ocean waves until settling upon the rocky shore where a sleek otter perched upon the rocks to groom. They knew we were there, but was content to at least finish their business upon the barnacled rocks before slinking back underneath the waves.

The shouting was what broke the moment, as two people rushed to the edge of the outlook we were upon, pointing cameras to the horizon. As they say, sometimes truth is stranger then fiction, the clouds parting to reveal the scope of the view and the words of the photographers as they exclaimed “The Orcas are right past the trees.” That was when it happened. Six people, fully looking to point and shout, became hushed. The sea splashed lightly against the rocks as winds picked up, and eyes scanned the near and far horizon for the signs. It did not take long as the sun cast it’s golden rays upon the waxing tide for the fins and splashes of the aquatic wonders to manifest. They hunted, cresting the waves with dorsal fins to the heavens and the sleek bodies standing out upon the sea view as they multiplied. Two, three, then five; the great predators of the northern waters moved with grace from our view ever onward to the coves in the distance. Aside from the click as shutters closed and photos were etched, however, no sound came from the people watching. We gazed in silence, many of our phones untouched in our pockets in the moment. Only the lightest of clearing sinus’s or an exhale of elation upon a jumping display broke the sounds of the camera shutters. Then after eternity, the moment passed. I could not be more happy to have fought against my feelings of malaise. The moment would have happened regardless of if I was there, but I was there. A witness to the uncommon, beautiful and powerful. May I write of more wonders to come.