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Monday, 29 September 2014

Merry Sunshine

By Janet Thompson

It will show up tomorrow morning for a couple hours.
I received a small toy in a goodie-bag a couple weeks ago.
Holding it, in its unfriendly blister packaging, I said, “Thank you, I think my cat will love this!”

The tiny pot is a cheerful spring green. An orange plastic butterfly sits atop a kinky stem above two grass-colored plastic leaves.
Its overall look is friendly.

I had, without thinking, set it on my coffee table.

As the lowering sun again begins its sojourn south, it starts filling my huge east window with its welcome, warm light.
I usually have to re-level my blinds to keep it from falling on the paintings covering my living room walls.

For the last few days, filtered by locust-tree leaves just outside, the sunlight reaches a tiny solar cell in the pot.
Slowly, then more quickly, the toy leaves start rising and falling and the butterfly shimmies from left to right.

Seated on the couch, as I have toast, coffee and read my newspaper,
I'm greeted by the joyful sight of the happy little toy’s movements.

And the snoozing cat, under the bed for her nap, is missing the uplifting show!

And the paintings will have to suffer a little sunshine

And I'll have a welcome spring in my step today.

Afterthought:

At a recent retreat, we were shown a simple example of mindfulness.
Using three raisins, the presenter led us in an exercise.

Yesterday, stretched on the couch with my blood-clotted leg in the air, I found time to ponder.

I've always been a Type-A person thriving on chaos; better late than never,
I realized, maybe now, I'm getting the picture after about 65 years!

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[INVITATION: All elders, 50 and older, are welcome to submit stories for this blog. They can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir, etc. Please read instructions for submitting.]

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