I’m on top of a hill, I can see so much of the island from here. I’m sitting under a eucalyptus tree, one of the very few trees in sight. I didn’t know eucalyptus trees had such a strong smell. I’m holding a long and thin eucalyptus leaf in my left hand. I’ve been staring at this leaf for what feels like forever. The leaf’s veins are not quite symmetrical but incredibly beautiful. It looks like somebody spent hours purposefully placing them, measuring the perfect distance between each vein. A pattern that is both abstract and harmonious. Nature is so beautiful. I’ve been sitting under this tree for hours. The sun is starting to set behind me. I’m facing the sea. I was trying to create the right shade of blue to paint the sea yesterday. It’s difficult to get such an intense tone of blue. If the veins of this eucalyptus leaf could make a noise they would create a symphony with the sound of the wind swaying the tall dry grass and the waves crashing on the marble pebbles. But the stars of this symphony is of course the cicadas, singing in harmony, as if their pulsing buzz was put together by a master conductor.
I used to hate going to the philharmonic as a child, my mother would drag me to the concerts. Yet, I find myself today on this hill, listening to the beautiful composition this island has to offer. It is in these moments, as all my senses are filled with nature’s beauty, that I am able to appreciate what I understand as being signs of God in nature. God is the Divine conductor and author of this beautiful symphony. Everything on earth, even if mute, is part of a divine orchestra. There is harmony and beauty in all things, we just have to learn to hear symphonies in moments of silence.
