Have you ever had a day where everything seemed brand spanking new? It has been like that for me for about three weeks now, and I am both intrigued and surprised. It is as if I was just born (fully adult, no diapers needed!) into this amazing world we live in, and I am seeing things for the first time!
Today I sat at a traffic light and gazed over at the cars pulling up beside me at the red light. A little sports car, a bright little sea mist colored convertible, jetted its way up the line, snub nose pushing it just ahead of my ordinary little maroon Civic. It took my breath away, literally. That little car was stunning! I could not take my eyes off the unusual color...it reminded me of the bits of pale aqua sea glass I used to pick up when I walked my dogs in Lake Worth. Joy welled up within me and I sat there, feeling the happiness flood every pore of my body. Sounds extreme, doesn't it? But seriously, I don't know if my brain is malfunctioning, if I am reverting to my childhood, or if I am just waking up to the enormous liberating POWER of gratitude. All I can say is I am shocked at the sheer beauty and magic and mysterious wonder of this LIFE we are all living: it is ENORMOUS.
Last Thursday, I walked a bit of a trail near Caro's school. The same thing happened then. I had my little turquoise bag with me, the one that is so small it only holds my wallet, my car keys, my tiny writing notebook and a pen. I scooped it up from the seat in the car and made notes as I wandered around. There was a great tree with leaves deepening their shades, readying for fall, and the sight of them, all red and burnished gold and juicy orange, startled me into stopping my walk. I stood beneath the tree and reached up as high as I could reach, pulling one bright yellow beauty to me. I traced the underside of the fiery leaf, felt thin ridges and coarse underbelly of the leaf. I closed my eyes and thanked God, out loud, right then and there, for the sheer beauty and wonder and privilege of being alive to see that leaf, to touch it and to keep it vivid and lasting in my memory bank.
One day I won't be here anymore. I hope that is a long time off from now, but while I am here, I just want to cram every bit of LIFE into my heart, course it through my veins, sink it into my soul...I want to be drenched with AWARENESS of every precious moment, each new experience, each old golden moment with the people I love and the people who love me.
Take a moment today, wherever you are right now, whatever you're doing, and be aware of where you are. What you are doing, who you are with, what you are wearing. Do you smell the air where you are? Is it misty, salty, freezing your nose and ears? Look at your sky: is it pale, is it orange, is it pink, is it blue? Close your eyes and breathe in your existence. You will never have this moment again, not ever again. Make it special, make it last.
And now, my friends, I am going to make myself a cup of peppermint tea, and then I am going to check out how much it costs to paint a car. A cute little maroon Honda Civic, to be exact. And I know just the shade of sea mist I want it to be.
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