On Ice

As has become my Friday night tradition, I settled into my chair with a hearty he-man sandwich, fries, pickles, and an ice cold glass of Pepsi, and watched a movie. That night's showing was Lawrence of Arabia.

I like Lawrence of Arabia for a number of reasons....my favorite part is in the beginning when Lawrence (played by Peter O'Toole) sets out into the desert to find Prince Faisal (played by Alec Guinness). You see immediately the magnificent desolation of the desert. As for Lawrence's feelings about the desert...they can be best summed up in one line...one of my favorites; "I like the desert...because its clean."

I have been to the desert in southern California a few times. On my first visit I became enraptured by the desert. I understood immediately why the Prophets went into there to find God. Friday night I had a compelling urge to go to the desert.

Mountains do it for some people. The woods or the ocean for others. For me...its the desert. Perhaps its because of that first experience I had, or maybe I know a bit too much of the Old Testament...or...because in the desert its just you and the elements. Here in New England you are hard pressed to capture that desert experience...except perhaps...on a frozen lake.

So yesterday...bundled in several layers of clothing... I strode across the largest lake my neck of the woods has to offer. In the middle of the lake I stood, and soaked in the wind, the sun, the cold, and most importantly...the silence. On the ice, far enough away from houses, cars, and people...I found that you can escape the roar of life's white noise that is our constant companion.