We Are All Waiting for Somewhere
Peace, quiet, open air, and sanctuary
How often do you call up memories of sacred places in your past??
The special places that meant something dear to you. Something ineffable, beyond place and time, that forever resides in the corners of your mind. Waiting patiently to live again in your recollection.
As the years advance and time nudges toward the winter of my life, I am drawn to the feelings I experienced in those cherished places.
Carmel, California comes to mind. My parents and I vacationed there. We frequented the Mediterranean Market on Ocean Street. Huge salami hung from the ceiling, and my father would buy cold cuts and sodas for us to lunch on the beach. Then we'd visit the nearby bakery to purchase sandwich rolls and cookies for dessert.?
Dad would spread out his large, green, wool army blanket and we'd recline in beach chairs, listening to the rhythmic music of the surf as we lunched and watched silly chipmunks dart out of the nearby brush and ask us for scraps. The cool ocean breeze caressed our faces and lulled us into naps as the laughter of families and children echoed from the surf's edge.
It was magic.
Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos, California also resides in my memories. I went there as a child, often with my mother and grandmothers. They'd sit on wooden benches beside the sprawling open lawns as I laughed on swings and slides in the playground. Many years later, as an adult, I took my dying grandmother there for an unforgettable afternoon of sunshine and even a train ride.?
In recent years, shortly after moving to Southern Nevada, friends took us sightseeing in beautiful Mt. Charleston. We brought a picnic lunch and sat in a grassy, bucolic meadow. And then, like a dream, wild horses and ponies emerged from the woods and grazed around us.?
I felt a deep sense of well-being and happiness.?
I am blessed to have a well-adjusted temperament, but sometimes the state of politics today and all the world's troubles weigh on my heart. Not to mention the vicissitudes of aging and the sadness of losing loved ones.
When feeling down, literature, art, and music often revive me.?
There's a song I frequently turn to when sadness and despair creep around the edges of my soul. It's the song "Somewhere," sung beautifully by Barbra Streisand. The song was written by Leonard Bernstein in 1957 as part of the Broadway production "West Side Story." The lyrics were penned by Stephen Sondheim.?
Interestingly, the music of "Somewhere" was inspired by portions of music from Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, Richard Strauss' Burlesque for Pianos & Orchestra, and Tchaikovsky's 3 Swan Lake (here's a fascinating?video that explains it all).?
Take a moment to watch Barbra Streisand perform "Somewhere" here.
Here are the lyrics for the song:
Somewhere
Somewhere
We'll find a new way of living
We'll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere
There's a place for us
Somewhere a place for us
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us, somewhere
There's a time for us
Some day there'll be a time for us
Time together with time to spare
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Time to learn
Time to care
Some day
Somewhere
We'll find a new way of living
We'll find there's a way of forgiving
Somewhere (Somewhere, somewhere)
There's a place for us
A time and a place for us
Hold my hand and we're halfway there
Hold my hand and I'll take you there
Somehow
Some day
Somewhere!
I love the historical scenes in the music video of European immigrants emotionally reuniting, and African children playing in the water. They speak to a universal longing for family, friends, and happiness. They speak to our longing for home, safety, and sanctuary.
I think we are all waiting for Somewhere.
Somewhere beyond the wars, worries, hardships, and sadness. To a place where we can reunite with the ones we love. Where the sun warms our hearts and the breeze cools our faces. Somewhere peaceful and happy.
I believe it exists.
A place for us. A place of peace, quiet, and open air.
Maybe if we take each other's hands we can find it together.
Before you go
I'm John P. Weiss. Every weekend I publish a new, inspirational story or essay for over 11K readers who follow my free Saturday Letters. Stories and essays about life lessons, love, loss, and hope. They pair nicely with a cup of coffee and quiet reflection. Learn more here.