All of Creation makes an imprint—or a mark—upon this earth, whether we are intentional about it or not.
The rock tumbling down the dune;
the waves creating patterns of sand upon the rocks—
washing away the rocks with painstaking care, and sometimes
with reckless abandon.
Dead trees half buried in the sand,
like gravestones
marking their time on this earth.
The windblown sand carving its way into the earth.
Creatures who leave behind signs of life
and self-preservation.
Creatures hauntingly beautiful as their carcass speaks of a life that once was…
perhaps a life taken by one who treads more heavily upon the earth.
We too leave an imprint as we tread upon the earth. Some of us tread lightly and leave behind a small footprint; sometimes a fun imprint. Others leave a careless imprint—caring not how they tread upon the earth.
As I travelled about the Rainbow Beach area, I was struck by the imprints of life wherever I went.
Many people seem desperate to make a mark
to say:
I was here.
I count.
I belong.
See me.
Countless names and symbols carved into rocks and trees. Marks made in an effort to be known, to be seen long after we are gone. Most of them illegal—but perhaps that adds to the romance or adventure for some.
Others left marks that would make some frown,
though some marks made me laugh as they were just so random.
I jokingly renamed the Carlo Sandblow walk—“The Penis Trail” due to the penises carved into the trees along the path. What does such a mark say about the person making it? If you could only make one indelible mark, what would it be?
The moonlit Sandblow made a strong impression upon me. Surreal beauty—an almost mystical experience, so much so, that I wrote a poem about it below. The words help, but do not capture the imprint made upon me. The poem was a futile attempt to hold on to the ephemerality of the moment.
As I write this post I think about the imprints and marks I am making as I navigate this thing called life. While I hope to leave behind a small footprint environmentally, I also hope to leave behind a significant mark that has meaning and depth. A mark others can learn from, or be blessed by.
Every “thing” in Creation is somehow the expression and embodiment of a thought. If these “things” were never thought, they could never be. Each day we live in a reality that we think up. No two realities are the same (similar perhaps but not the same). Our reality seems more a dream than actual reality. Many of us live out our reality as though we will be here forever, or as though the world somehow depends upon us finishing that “really important” project. We often forget that we are mere sojourners—alive for a brief moment in time—living on a planet spinning slowly through eternity. Perhaps our tenuous grip on reality makes us want to somehow “belong” in a more significant way than we feel we do. Perhaps that is why we go about carving rocks and trees, essentially shouting, “I was here… I belong… See me… I count!”
What if we lived with our temporality in mind: to accept that we “do” belong and to rest in that? With only so many jelly beans to spend, what kind of mark will you leave on this earth?
Here’s some of the markings left by both humanity and nature in the Rainbow Beach area:
