As I sit here this evening wondering what to write… I stumble a little.
You see, I have just returned from such a marvelous adventure. I saw castles filled with riches, and Viking ships. I walked through the palaces of Kings, Queens, and Czars … and …. and… who could forget the department store in Helsinki?
So today. Well, let’s see.
I pulled a dead mole out of the pool. I backwashed the Koi pond about 54 times. Scrubbed outdoor furniture. Laundry. Leaf blowing, weed pulling, and such. Filled the bird feeders. You now. All the usual suspects. Truthfully, it seems a little lame in comparison.
But is it? I’m not so sure.
It is simply different.
It seems we become accustomed to the “every day” activities of our lives. The repetitive. Punching the time clock, filling our tanks with gas, mowing the lawn, making beds, grocery shopping. The whole palooza.
But today, I had a whole bunch of happy little moments…. all over the place. I saw the coolest little Nuthatch on one of our feeders. (Along with a hundred others). I swam in the pool for the first time this year. We ate amazingly tasty Chinese food for dinner (Yum Yum’s in Oxford. You all need to try it.) There were warmest regards from the Puppy Train, which followed me throughout the day.
Most certainly, it was all good.
The best of it is simply this: I am living and breathing. I can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Walk. Run. Swim. Jump. I can speak, and think. I am free. There is a shelter over my head, and food on my table.
To some people…. the things on this list are evasive. But I had them all today. That is miraculous.
Maybe the excitement doesn’t have to come from visiting a far away land. Perhaps it is even MORE awe-inspiring and breathtaking… to visit the palaces of my own existence. My heart, my head, my spirit. That is where the true riches are. The most magnificent vistas might… in fact…. be right in our own back yards.
“I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.” – Maya Angelou