We woke up to the sound of rain falling outside this morning, so I am taking time to relax over my second cup of coffee and get caught up on some writing. What a treat after all the busy days we have had.
As I sit here with my laptop on my laptop, I can hear the rain pitting and patting into the eaves just outside my studio window and it is such a soothing sound. The garden needs a drink and my body probably needs a day of rest from the bike, so I will enjoy this gift of a free day.
John went to the garden centre yesterday and ordered 4yards of mulch to be delivered this morning. We had planned on a full day of gardening, but because of the rain, we put off delivery of the mulch until tomorrow. Now I can really enjoy that second cup of coffee and relax. Let it pour. Let it pour. Let it pour!
I wonder where my imagination will take me this morning as I sit here and write? Let me see….
I was walking through a store the other day and a display of bright yellow plastic buckets and shiny red shovels caught my eye. I was drawn to the display and I reached out to touch one of the buckets. Instantly I was taken back to many childhood days spent playing at the beach. We lived near one of the great lakes when I was growing up, so I enjoyed a few sunny afternoons down by the water during my summers in the city. We had to drive or take a bus there, so we didn’t get to go everyday, but my dad would often herd us kids together and take us all to the beach for the afternoon so mom could have a quiet break at home. I loved those times with my dad. They were such a break in our normal routine, and now those trips are what stand out in my memory, a priceless treasure, each one.
My grandparents owned a cottage on a smaller lake up north of the city, and once every summer, the family would pile into the old station wagon and go to that cottage for a week. These trips also come back to me, in full living colour now, when I think of sandy beaches and summer holidays. What fun it was to be so close to the water that we could just walk there from the cottage, and run back and forth to it all day long.
We would each get a new colouring book and fresh box of crayons to keep us quiet on the car trip up to the cottage; a new floating toy for the water; a new bucket and shovel or other sand toys to play with at the beach; and a new book or two to read at night or on a rainy afternoon. We were spoiled indeed.
All those memories came flooding back to me when I caught sight of those buckets displayed in the grocery store the other day. I walked from the buckets and shovels over to another display table piled high with net bags full of assorted sand toys. This collection had a bigger bucket, two shovels and numerous moulds in the shape of starfish, whales, clams, crabs, lobsters, and other sea creatures. Oh the joys of owning the super deluxe set like that. We were really living high on the hog when we got one of those instead of just a new bucket and shovel.
Now, I, a woman in my late 50’s, stood in the store that day and actually thought of buying a set of sand toys for myself, just because of all the happy memories attached to it. I really did. I resisted the urge to purchase it, and left the store with just my groceries in hand, but I held a priceless treasure in my heart – the feeling of all those sunny summer days at the beach. What a bargain I walked out of the store with that day.
The best things in life really are free.
2 comments:
I'd like to thank your whole family for encouraging me to look within myself and take a better look at the world around me. And, I'd like to properly introduce myself, since I have gathered your names by reading the various blogs in your family. My name is Freya *extends a hand*
Hi Freya, it is nice to meet you. *accepts hand warmly*
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