The Importance of Place

Florida definitely has the best beaches in the USA (in my opinion, anyway). But, that does not mean that other beaches are not good, in their own right, or as special.

I have been to California twice. Awesome place. Can't wait to go again. On both of those trips, I was able to visit Laguna Beach, in between L.A. and San Diego:

Unfortunately, these pictures do not do the place justice. No picture fully captures one's experience in a place. But these pictures were taken on my cell phone, which lags far behind the camera abilities on other phones.

But nonetheless, this is Laguna Beach. It's no wonder that a television show was named after and set in the place. It's amazing. On my first trip through the place, I enjoyed a very tasty brunch with family at a restaurant overlooking the shoreline. That was really nice. On my second trip, I was with two friends on a quick trip through, on the way back up to an Angels/Braves baseball game. We did not have a whole lot of time to spend there. But what we did spend was very nice.

We spent an hour or so on the rocks of the beach doing nothing. And it was fabulous. We had been running around trying to see some sites in the area during our brief stay. We decided to pop down to Laguna Beach. Once we got there, we found it difficult to leave. Being on the beach that day was very peaceful, rather tranquil. I remember leaving the place feeling refreshed and renewed, feeling better about the stresses and challenges going on in my life.

That's the power of place. Often, the exact setting does not matter because simply allowing ourselves the freedom and the opportunity to sit, to rest, to unwind, perhaps meditate and to think deeply can be so enriching. Places like Laguna Beach allow us, or even call us, to do that. I can think of a number of places that have had that effect upon me. Then, when I return there, for whatever reason, I feel the same sense of peace and hope that I originally felt.

It is good, and necessary, for us to find and then continue coming back to those kinds of places, whether they are in the forest behind our house or halfway around the world. Once we find them, we cannot help but realize how important they are to us.