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Papi Chulo and I went to the coast today. I needed to be somewhere where I would feel small and insignificant. I needed the sound of the ocean to drown out the sadness in my soul. We have suffered a loss that has left a hole in our family. Right now I need to turn inward and am stepping away from this space until I can do more than just putting one foot in front of the other.
...bringing bikes, scooters, popcorn, wine, music, holiday lights, marshmallows, and laughter.
We have good people in our life.
A previously planned weekend away at cabins with friends provided a necessary break for us. We arrived a day before the others and enjoyed some quiet time in nature as a family. Bird watching, disc golf, walks in the woods, some puddle stomping.... It offered a brief escape and a chance to ground ourselves, things that are much needed right now.
Spring here can be quite dreary. Some days the clouds hunker down so low it seems like you could almost reach up and touch them, if you stood on your tiptoes. Misty rains sprinkle down all day from a sky made up of one enormous cloud. Other days the clouds come and go as quickly as the attention of a toddler. Inbetween rapid showers the sun shines fiercely as if to say, "I am coming! I am coming! I didn't forget about you!" And every now and then blue skies rule the day and we soak them up with gratitude because we know that tomorrow might be grey.
One thing that I have noticed is how the colors of the spring flowers and the blooming trees pop out against all the grey and the dark greens. They look even brighter, more brilliant than on those bright sunshine-blue sky days. And they are everywhere. No matter which direction you go you can find something colorful to fill the frame. And each time I see the yellow tulips or the pink cherry blossoms or the unfolding magnolias, I stop, I pause, and I give thanks for that little bit of beauty that stands out amongst all the grey.
Feels a bit like life right now--trying to find the beauty amongst all the grey.
It turns out that one of the important things that one must learn about a new house as soon as possible is whether or not fairies live there too. One does this by leaving the fairies little treasures, building them homes, and starting fairy gardens. Then one waits patiently, hoping that the fairies will, in turn, leave evidence of their presence. Something along the lines of "build it and they will come."
I think that they will come. Do you?
It did so feel like spring this weekend. The sun shone, rain sprinkled down now and again, flowering trees were in bloom, as were tulips and daffodils, coats were put aside, windows opened up. We celebrated a birthday with friends and took time to be outside. This weekend we tried to keep our eyes focused on the beauty that fills our life and to enjoy the moments before us.
