Waiting in the rain for my friend, fat raindrops falling on my good umbrella.
Walking the wet street side by side, arriving at the storefront, being the witness of joy.
Looking, enjoying the way the books were carefully set out on tables, nothing bought, but nice to look at, nice to pick up and read titles, blurbs on the back of jackets from friends and colleagues, arrangements of words, phrases evaporating with each page turning…
Wonderful to ask for and receive hot coffees in small paper cups, with seltzer back, opening the crosscurrent of news, feelings, past lives and crossed wires.
Delightful to walk to a holiday craft market, to be the eyes looking at beautiful ornate beaded things, beautifully scented things to burn, beautiful golden sparkly jewels, beautiful, beautiful things, nothing bought but so nice to look at.
Relief when the rain finally stopped, when the sun finally peeked out around 3pm, over the top of the buildings out back, already setting in the back of the sky.
Enjoying burning the cedar, tiny hands holding the branch while my thumb snapped the spark of the lighter up, watching the smoke curl in the breeze of the cracked window, a voice in the middle of the apartment asking, “are you…burning something?”
Glorious to suddenly remember that there is a surprise, an unopened ziplock bag containing a gift, paper inside paper, inside the paper, a painting with all my favorite colors, all my favorite things, all for me.
How did I get so lucky?
And those moments of such extreme gratefulness and contentment are EXACTLY why we're here! Thanks for sharing so we could all savor it!