Thursday, January 31, 2008

Sleepy thoughts on Foghorns

I live near the coast, and when it's foggy I hear the plaintive cry of the local foghorn.

I like the sound of the foghorn, when it's foggy at least. And the other night, as foggy a night as it gets, as I drifted off to sleep I wondered what it was about that sound that seemed so comforting. And I think I figured it out.

It has to do with the foundations of civilization. I'm not kidding. The foghorn blows so passing ships have a warning and don't crash into the rocks near shore. The foghorn doesn't know who's out there, but it blows loud and clear just in case. I suppose some tiny slice of my tax money goes to pay for that foghorn, and I think it's money well spent.

You see, the very idea of the foghorn is a recognition that we are all in this thing together. We all need each other sometimes and, sometimes each of us gets lost. The foghorn sounds across the waves and tells anyone out there: though the mist and the darkness are all around, we are here, and we'll help you find your way.

So sleep well, my friends, and when you seem adrift, listen. Someone is out there -- you don't know who -- just beyond where you can see, and they don't want you to crash into the rocks.