Following the Footpath to Fishing and Fishing Boats in Garibaldi, Oregon

Healing is a Sacred Journey:  Following the Footpath to Fishing and Fishing Boats in Garibaldi, Oregon

by

Virginia Pickles Jones

Begin by the Bay Lane Clam Bed Pier off of 12th Street just south of Highway 101.  Low tide allows you to walk on the rocky bay side.  When you have had your fill of turning over rocks and looking for invertebrates, take the stairs to the pier.

In reflecting on your own life, where did you begin your journey to healing?

The casual crab fishermen plies his pleasure, baiting a trap and throwing it into the water below.

The crab he catches nurtures his taste buds, body and soul.

What do you do to nurture body and soul?

Whether you are fishing or walking, enjoy the azure skies, the view of green forested and grassy hills, and the mild breezes coming off the Pacific.

Pacific… Pacify…. Peace….

Where do you find peace?

Walk up the pier…

…to the shore.

Take the trail which leads from the pier along the bayshore by the western edge of the marina.  

Walk along the bay.

Enjoy the view of the Clam Bed Pier as

fog rolls over Cape Meares to the South.

On clear days the sun gleams on Tillmaook Bay.

At low tide, the retreating waters expose mud flats -- home to thousands of clams.

Climb up the bank to the marina.

Leave the ocean side of the bay, and

walk across the marina to where the fishing boats moor.

Where is your path in life taking you?

Here in Garibaldi, billowing white clouds and blue sky reflect on the water…

Enjoy the beauty of this moment.

Meditate.  Is your life on a path to beauty?

If not, do you need to change direction?

The marina is alive with movement and color: Brick red fish processing plant, pink buoys, yellow surfboard, blue fish totes….

Life explodes with color if we provide ourselves with opportunities.

Where can you find bright colors and breathtaking beauty in your life?

Walk down to the boat mooring docks.

Metal crab traps, stacked on the dock, wait for trips to sea.

Is there anything caging you?

How can you set yourself free?

Change your perspective.  Turn around and look

between boat and dock to where land and sky meet on the water.

What can you see when you change your persecutive on your life?

A rust painted boat reflects on the water.

Reflect on your life.  

Is there metaphoric rust in your life?

Is there beauty in your life despite the rust?

What can we do to repair the rust and emphasize the beauty?

Green hoses sit coiled on the dock, ready to wash off fish scales and slime.

What dirt and muck do we need to wash off of ourselves as we journey through life?

Life is work in progress just as the work of fishermen and fisherwomen is never done.

The nets and traps are emptied into fish holds, which are then emptied into the processors on shore where fish or crab are frozen or processed into product and shipped elsewhere.

But for the fisher, once the crab has been removed from the traps and the fish moved from the holds, everything must be washed and scrubbed for the next haul or the next season.

Each season batters the boat and wears and tears at paint and hull.  When the season ends, 

each boat must be repaired and repainted.

What repairs and repainting are needed in your life?

Where can you go to repaint and repair your soul?

(Hint: Garibaldi, Oregon)

Copyright 2014 Virginia Pickles Jones