Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-10-16
THE SUNDAY STAR
Washinston, D: G.

eteEnai ebb and now, Of their inevit-
able iutermittency? "The life Of the
spirit said eatnt-Exupery, @the veritable
life. Il intermittent and only the life
Of the mind Il constant. The spirit
alternates between total vision and
absolute blindness. Here Is Q man, for
example, who loves his farm hut there
are moments when he sees IN It only
collection Of unrelated objects. Here
II man who loves his wife--but there
are moments when he sees In love moth.
ing but burdens. hindrances, CONSTANTS.
Here Ii . man who loves music but there
are moments when It cannot reach him."
The averitable Life. Of our emotions
and our relationships also Is intermittent.
When you love someone you do not love
them al the time. In exactly the same
way, from moment to moment. It Is
an impossibility. It is even lie to
pretend TO. And yet this Is exactly what
most Of us demand. We have 50 little
faith IN the ebb and low Of life. Of love.
Of relationships. We leap ct the now
Of the tide and resist IN terror its ebb.
We are afraid Il win never return. We
insist on pefmanency. on duration, on
continuity; when the only continuity
possible. IN life as In love. Is IN growth,
40 A41tAAAby--1Ak AACS00kkks Al bklC 8E11E5
that the dancers are free, barely touching
as they pass. but partners In the same
pattern. The only real security Is not In
owning or possessing. not In demanding
or expecting, not In hoping. even. Se-
curity In q relationship lies neither IN
looking back to what It was in nostalgia.
nor forward to what 1t might be IN dread
or anticipation. but living In the present
relationship and accepting It as It IL
now. For relationships. too, must be Ike
islands. One must accept them for what
they are here and now, within their linz
its-aslands, surrounded and interrupted
BY the sea. continually visited and aban-
doned BY the tides. One must accept
the security Of the winged life, Of ehb
and now. Of internittency.
acknowledgement impossible lesson for
human beings to learn. How can one
learn to live through the ehb-tides Of
ones existence? How can one learn to
take the trough Of the wave? Il Is easier
to understand here on the beach, where
the breathIessIy stil1 ebb-tides reveal
another life below the level which mortals
usually reach. In this crystalline mo-
ment Of suspense, one has q sudden rev
elaticn Of the secret kingdom &c the
bottom Of the sea. Here In the shallow
hats one finds. wading through warm rip-
pies. great horse-conchs pivoting on
leg; white sand dollars, marble medal
lions engraved In the mud: and myriads
OF bright-cOlored cochina- cIams, glisten-
ing In the foam, their shells opening
ana shutting like butterflies wings. So
beautiful - the still hour Of the seas
withdrawal. as beautiful Is the seas re-
turn when the encroaching waves pound
up the beach, pressing to reach those
dark riImpled chains Of seaweed which
mark the last high tide.
Perhaps this Is the most important
thing Tor me to take back from beach,
living: Simply the memory that each
cycle Of the tide Is valid; each cycle Of
the wave d valid: each cycle Of 4 rela-
ticnship b valid. And my sneIIs7 I
can sweep them all into my pocket. They
are only there 10 remind me that the sea
recedes and returns externally.
tccpyrisht 1855. " Anne Norrev Ilrdbersh;
sooks me- spS kins l Sssturss ssnd aisasS
in The next and final instulIment
Of Gift From The Sea- Anne
M LindbeFgh discusses the b1sic Ssh
sfancs Of life the hers, The nov,
fhs indiNduol and The problem
Of adiustment in . changing world.
4 Will eppeer next Sunday. 0cte.
6 bsr q. ~