Reflection of the Sunset
I took a long walk today through my wooded, beautiful park. Schedules for the day had moved my weekly sunrise walk to sunset and everything was a little different with the time change. The strange trees of Madrid glowed in the last of the sun. Their bare skinny trucks bent and stretched into large plumes of green like Dr. Seuss’ Truffula trees.
Upbeat music echoed near the highest crest of one of the hills, and I paused my trek. I was curious to see that specific crest since I had not been there before, but I felt shy thinking I would probably interrupt someone trying to enjoy a smoke or a young couple taking in the golden rays. I made my way back down the dirt hill to the traditional path and continued contemplating my day and my life in the city.
I thought about my family as I walked and how we are spread so far across the world. I thought about how much I long to see my parents and my siblings and how I might be able to build a future that allows that. I shared my gratitude with God for this span of my life, because he had given me what I had asked for long ago - a chance to spend 5 years of my life in Spain.
My favorite hill came into view and I climbed simultaneously higher in altitude and deeper into the park. The climax of the first phase of this walk is always this view of the royal palace. Whether lit by night or glimpsed by day, it floats majestically in the middle distance beside the Catedral de la Almudena. This view always sparks energy inside of me and gives me a sense of perspective of my life.
The end of my trek is often Lago, a beautiful man-made pond hidden from the bustle of the city. I walked there today and paused at the edge of the water. The sun was shining into the rippling pool and I felt a strange sensation combined with a memory of a poem.
Longfellow writes about standing at a bridge in moonlight after years of pensive tension, years of feeling like life was heavy and overwhelming. He writes about the relief of that feeling being past and reflects on the way it is still playing out in the lives of those around him. Today I felt some similar kind of relief. Jeni and I have finally found our footing here in our city. We are ready to build our future and many of the wearisome steps to this life are behind us.
I will leave you with his writing, since it is public domain and the work is amazing. Maybe it will speak to your life now or to a time that is yet to come.
The Bridge By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I stood on the bridge at midnight,
As the clocks were striking the hour,
And the moon rose o'er the city,
Behind the dark church-tower.
I saw her bright reflection
In the waters under me,
Like a golden goblet falling
And sinking into the sea.
And far in the hazy distance
Of that lovely night in June,
The blaze of the flaming furnace
Gleamed redder than the moon.
Among the long, black rafters
The wavering shadows lay,
And the current that came from the ocean
Seemed to lift and bear them away;
As, sweeping and eddying through them,
Rose the belated tide,
And, streaming into the moonlight,
The seaweed floated wide.
And like those waters rushing
Among the wooden piers,
A flood of thoughts came o’er me
That filled my eyes with tears.
How often, O, how often,
In the days that had gone by,
I had stood on that bridge at midnight
And gazed on that wave and sky!
How often, O, how often,
I had wished that the ebbing tide
Would bear me away on its bosom
O’er the ocean wild and wide!
For my heart was hot and restless,
And my life was full of care,
And the burden laid upon me
Seemed greater than I could bear.
But now it has fallen from me,
It is buried in the sea;
And only the sorrow of others
Throws its shadow over me.
Yet whenever I cross the river
On its bridge with wooden piers,
Like the odor of brine from the ocean
Comes the thought of other years.
And I think how many thousands
Of care-encumbered men,
Each bearing his burden of sorrow,
Have crossed the bridge since then.
I see the long procession
Still passing to and fro,
The young heart hot and restless,
And the old subdued and slow!
And forever and forever,
As long as the river flows,
As long as the heart has passions,
As long as life has woes;
The moon and its broken reflection
And its shadows shall appear,
As the symbol of love in heaven,
And its wavering image here.