They’re back, the sun and blue sky. It is still cold, but I can probably downgrade it to chilly if I’m standing in the sun. The nights, though, are downright cold, Winter cold at 34˚.
When I was a kid, a nickel or a dime was wealth. I remember once I found a half Dollar, a treasure. It was a strange find, almost mystical. I was coming back from my aunt’s house using the short cut, a path along side a Fence and behind some houses. At the end, I’d jump the fence where it was the shortest and be near my house. I remember thinking I wish I still had my allowance, all fifty cents of it, so I could buy another book, another Trixie Belden. I sat for a minute with my back to the fence before I jumped it. I looked down and there was a half dollar on the path, a shiny half dollar. I was beyond amazed. I believed it was magic. The make a wish, and it comes true sort of magic. I had no other explanation, still don’t.
I believe the world is magical if you take the time to look. It is the dreamer in me. I also have a healthy dose of skepticism honed over time, and I can be cynical. I think my cynicism grew from my idealism, but that’s just my theory.
Fireflies twinkling in my backyard among the trees is magical. I stand on my deck and watch them and have trouble pulling myself away. Christmas lights shining bright in the darkness of winter always delight me. I keep white lights lit all year. Some are candles in my windows; one is a huge star hanging on my fence and a string of lights is around the rail at the end of the deck. I love sun rises and sun sets. I read fantasy novels and leave my skepticism behind. I have a gnome statue. He lives inside all winter and moves to the deck for the summer. The crashing of white crested waves on rocks takes my breath away.
When I travel, my eyes are wide open to everything, my ears are tuned for new sounds and my nose sniffs out unfamiliar smells. But when I travel back to Ghana, I find the familiar awesome. I am still filled with wonder at my having lived in Africa.
I just hope I never forget to look at the world with wide eyes, especially here at home.
