Saturday was one of those sublime Spring days in Cornwall: sunshine, blue skies, turquoise sea, breeze and birds delighting in their freedom. I headed out to Chapel Porth, my favourite cove, and began walking around the coastal path to St Agnes Head.
The first section of the path takes you upwards from the cove fairly rapidly, then the path becomes gentler. The sound and sight of the waves crashing onto the shore was mesmerising. As I walked I noticed that there was an old Engine House coming into my sightline up ahead; these ancient and often ruined buildings are littered along the Cornish coastline. I continued to climb and the once distant Engine House drew closer and closer. I watched as it grew in size....and before long, I was standing beside it, small, as it towered above me. I drew breath, then moved on, this time sighting the headland. When I reached the headland I turned back to see the Engine House so recently huge, now a small memory on the path.
It got me thinking about landmarks, and how we see things in the future. Sometimes they loom, growing ever bigger in our vision...and then, often all too quickly, we pass them, move on and their size changes. Perspective is everything. The Engine House remains the same size it ever was...but my perception of its size and my relation to it, changes with every step.
It seems to me that this is similar to the landmarks of my own life. I can look back at places, people, events and achievements of the past, which, when experienced, were huge...and yet now, with the perspective of distance, are small. And yet, like the tall chimney of the Engine House, these things remain as landmarks on my life; things by which I can plot my journey. And as I look ahead to the future, I can see all sorts of interesting landmarks that are just coming into view. Head down. Deep breath. Keep breathing. Like those in the past, these too will come, will be awesome....and go.
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