TAKING A MOMENT

If you remember last Monday, it was a beautiful day! The sun came out in the afternoon, and the air was perfect, no wind or humidity, and calmness was about.

After cleaning a bathroom, then tackling a closet I meant to get to for a while, I prepared a marinade for a chicken dish that need to sit in the frig for a few hours. Around 2:00 PM, I took out a Heineken and lit a White Owl miniature and sat out in my backyard, among the trees and flowers. I could enjoy the quiet of the afternoon, and could easily hear the lazy drone of a small aircraft as it flew overhead.

As I sat there, the sun filtered through the giant oak tree, dabbing me with sunlight like a paint bush from Titian. I sat with such contentment, like I have never done before. I wondered what took me so long to discover this wonderful pleasure!

Sitting in the tranquil sunlight and shade of the yard, took me back to my Grandmother, Grandma Frances. I recall her backyard with such fondness, now that I don’t have the chance to do so anymore. I remember the grape vine that overhung a portion of the yard, the sun peeking through in spots, again, painting me in sunlight splashes of golden yellow. I could smell the basil, that sweet smell I love so much: as the wind would gently lift the aroma to my nose. I remember the tomatoes, and the perfect shape that Grandpa Ralph made them into; picked and sitting on Grandma’s windowsill.

I recall the sleepy afternoons when I sat and watched my grandfather, his legs crossed, asleep in his folding chair, a fedora tucked over his eyes. And yes, I can still hear the lazy drone of a small aircraft as it flew overhead, sleepily inducing me to dream.

Sitting peacefully makes for a good day, it settles you down and like a gyroscope and a compass, it rights your course, and the sea seems calm, once again.