A Great Oasis of Nothingness

Many years ago, when I was but a teen, our family moved off its usual summer vacation groove and booked instead, a cottage in the middle of, quite literally, nowhere. Friend, nothing surrounded us, no street lights or bus service, no shops, cafes, public buildings. When darkness descended, we looked out into a vast arena of nothingness – and it was glorious. One night, a thrilling thunderstorm lit up the sky and rain lashed against the roof of the little dwelling. Inside, all was warmth and cosiness, with flickering firelight reflected on our cups and glasses. And when daylight came, the sun shone again and our guardians motored us to the nearest beach. And that was the point of the vacation. Years have passed and, though I still remember that time with fondness, I have never yearned to live like that. It was what it was, an interval, a vacation, a leaving of the ordinary, the everyday, behind, an oasis where nothing happens providing space to think, to dream, to process life. Paradoxically, it is a place where many of us expand into everything, a reminder that this world was made out of nothing.