Ventura Reminds Us of the Beautiful Truth of Nothing.

by Visit Ventura

  There is beauty — and more — in nothing. We all know this. But in an often fast-paced and chaotic world, nothing often slips by us unnoticed. We know in our hearts that this is a shame. But, happily, it is an easily remedied shame. For here in Ventura, and everywhere on this planet we call home, nothing is everywhere. Finding it isn’t difficult. Here in Ventura, you could take a boat ride out to the Channel Islands. Or you could simply stop thinking and stand very still and dwell only on the tiny applause of eucalyptus leaves. Perhaps (wisely), at the same time you could close your eyes, turn your face to the sun and feel the cool of a passing cloud. Maybe you also feel your heartbeat. It is not nothing at all. Children are experts at savoring nothing. They will stop and watch the breeze push at a spider web, turning their heads and squinting their eyes so that the sun off the gossamer threads plays a happy game of hide and seek. Maybe there will even be a spider diligently knitting, continuing to work on a small miracle that will withstand all but the strongest wind. Nothing sometimes even comes with a tale. Crowned King of the Scots in 1306, life wasn’t always kingly for Robert the Bruce (or his fellow Scots). After a series of defeats at the hands of the British, Robert was forced into hiding. Legend has it that he once took refuge in a cave. Dispirited, he sat and watched a spider struggle to build a web. The spider failed again and again, falling to the cave floor before crawling up the wall again. At last, a first silken strand took hold. A lesson appropriate to any time, including this one. And a small, but not small at all, illustration of a timeless wisdom. Nothing offers so much as nothing. So find yourself a winding trail in the sunshine. Or stand beside the ocean. Or take a trip out to the Channel Islands. Or stare for a gloriously, childishly long time at whatever strikes your fancy. Let the world rush past. Take a very long moment for nothing. Take a lot of very long moments for nothing. Nothing may be the moment that matters most.