La Jolla Visitation

Posted by Jake on July 29th, 2007 filed in liberty

Today some of Liberty’s friends and I visited Liberty’s favorite beach and veggie restaurant in San Diego in honor of Liberty. James, Tom, James’ bro Nick and his friend Travis visited Black’s Beach. Black’s Beach is where Liberty would often go to find solace away from the rigour of his Ph.D. program. The natural world was always a place where he could re-connect with his senses. Liberty would go to this beach to medidate, star gaze, observe the full moon, and just simply to relax. I remember when my partner Sabrina and I visited Liberty in December 2006, Liberty was very excited to show us Black’s Beach. “You guys will love it”, Liberty said. He was absolutely right. When Liberty took us there that day, we had such an amazing time. We all joked around, took funny pictures, Liberty did some yoga poses for the camera, but mostly we just sat and talked about life while watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. In fact, this is the place where I took the black and white photo of Liberty that is featured on this website. I remember the two of us, talking back and forth making sure the pose for that picture was framed correctly. “Wait”, Liberty said, as he shifted his hands and body to his right side, as he looked over the cliff: “Jack, how are my dreads?” he asked. (D. Jack was my “Desi name,” that Liberty and Bobby coined) “Perfect”, I said. Indeed, that day was perfect.

Since Liberty passed away, I have wanted to come back to the spot that Liberty held so dear to his heart, although I was nervous that it might be too much for me to handle. The beach is surrounded by huge water-eroded barren cliffs, with hang gliders and birds making use of the long drop below. It was a peaceful day at Black’s Beach today, and Liberty’s relaxing and calming energy was definitely felt by all of us there. We could see for miles out into the blue ocean. The white water of the waves crashing down below sounded like an oceanic symphony. If one were to ask Liberty, what his favorite sounds were, he would first point to the natural sounds echoing from our planet; the waves and movement of the ocean, wolves howling, crickets chirping. Wagner’s masterpiece, for example, although he too thought was an amazing musical feat, in his eyes, no human made instrument or song could ever outshine the ancient sounds of the natural world. It was an honor to visit this place with Liberty’s friends, and as I stood there, I thought of all the people who Liberty touched. I thought of Liberty’s brother Amit, sister in-law Shalini, and his mom and dad, as I looked over the spot where my friend had sat months ago overlooking the beach. It brought me some peace. The next time you are fortunate enough to visit the ocean, take a moment and close your eyes and think of Liberty sitting beside you. Breath in the calmness of the oceanic breeze, listen to the ocean’s calming waves, and smell the aromatic odor of the sea. Liberty always took the time to appreciate the things that many people are too busy to see or hear.

Thank you brother Liberty for teaching us to appreciate the world that we live in.

yours, jake

Below is the actual sunset that I was fortunate to watch with Liberty a few months ago at Black’s Beach. (Other new pics under “pictures at the beach” on the menu to the right)

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