On my neighbour’s back porch there is a peacock
\nthat sits on a table
\nit is ceramic or porcelain , beautifully regal
\nit stands
\ncloaked in white and a bit
\nof red
\nand every day when I step out
\nit catches my eye
\nand makes me smile
\njust
\nby being there<\/p>\n
I had a rough week last week, as sometimes I do
\nI think it was just the week\u2026 \u00a0but it certainly felt a lot longer
\n(kindly he says, \u2018it was only a couple of days\u2019)
\nat times I struggled against myself
\nand I was miserable to my husband
\nI was tired, I was emotional and I was
\nraw
\nI know when this comes, being a woman, I know
\nwhy this comes
\nand I try sometimes desperately
\nto ease myself
\nthrough
\nto be kind,
\nto be gentle
\nthis too shall pass
\nand then
\nto surrender
\nand quite thankfully, pass it does
\nand again I offer myself
\nclemency<\/p>\n
yesterday morning, as I was sat quietly reading
\nmy neighbour to the other side
\nsuddenly sings out, \u201cSunny day, sweeping the clouds away..\u201d
\nsome words inaudible
\nI think he is singing to his granddaughter
\nand the song echoes through open windows
\nit seems these are all of the words he knows to this song,
\nthe first few
\nas he repeats only this one line, several times
\nand then quickly reverts back to his usual very melodic whistle
\nthis has me smiling
\nquite broadly<\/p>\n
out on an intended quick trip to the grocery store,
\nmy husband steers us first to the garden centre
\nbecause of course, he indeed knows
\nmy heart
\nand how very simply he
\ncan make me smile
\nagain<\/p>\n
an afternoon spent with my girls
\ntelling family stories
\ntruths (as I know them)
\nand sorting out pasts
\nleaves me slightly exhausted
\nbut pretty proud that we
\nhave
\nthis<\/p>\n
this morning, my husband is gone too early
\nI have coffee and a nice quiet read
\nfinishing my book
\nmy allergies are in full these last few days
\nand I feel dizzy and a bit nauseous
\nwhen I step into the shower
\nI look down and somehow surprising myself,
\nI notice
\nmy purple toes
\nwith the little purple flowers on them
\ninstantly my smile grows
\nand this
\nfeels good<\/p>\n
the sunshine beckons
\nas well as the blue-ness of a vast and brilliant sky
\nand I wander an oh-so-familiar yet
\nalways miraculously new
\npath
\ngraciously I greet each new bloom
\n\u201cOh, you have flowered!!\u201d
\nI say out loud, as I bring my hands together
\nand to my lips, and smile
\nin pure delight
\nI laugh as I wonder what my neighbour might think
\nif he
\nis to hear
\nme
\nthe crazy lady next door
\nI spend some time admiring my roses
\nand the gorgeous colours of
\nthe fading blossoms
\nall things beautiful to be found right here
\nin these colours
\neven
\nas they fade
\nand then a Monarch butterfly
\nflutters in
\nand I can feel myself gladly swelling with
\nLove
\nmy lungs filling with air
\nmy heart
\ne \u00a0 \u00a0x \u00a0 \u00a0p \u00a0 \u00a0a \u00a0 \u00a0n \u00a0 \u00a0d \u00a0 \u00a0i \u00a0 \u00a0 n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0g
\nand then\u2026
\nmy wings
\nand again, I express my sincere Gratitude
\nfor this
\nnot every moment of every day do we always feel
\nwonderful
\nsometimes we are badgered by hormones, or moods
\nhealth issues
\nsomething awful in the world
\nor life seeming to suddenly
\nfall apart
\nbut for me
\nthe Gratitude comes
\nin my choosing to recognize
\npure Joy
\nwhen it arrives
\nor sits idly
\nwaiting
\nto be inhaled
\nand I try
\nto never miss
\ntaking this in<\/p>\n
because I do believe that when you open yourself up
\nto this
\nit always
\ncomes<\/p>\n
to be caught in the very sight
\nof delight<\/p>\n
sometimes it\u2019s as simple
\nas remembering
\nas listening
\nas greeting
\nas admiring
\nas
\nopening
\nand
\nallowing<\/p>\n
and sometimes
\nit\u2019s really just as simple
\nas
\nloving<\/p>\n
purple
\ntoes! \u00a0\u2665<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"