Tuesday, June 25, 2013

A Good Summer Storm

A good summer storm
Without undue anger
Yet force enough to drive the rain
Should shake the branches
But not tear apart,
Not rip from the limbs their clothing
Scattering leaves as
If raping the trees.

OK. That got weird really fast.  I sat down to write an excuse for eating ice cream - without once bit of guilt on top - at ten o'clock in the evening. And then suddenly I'm sexualizing a storm.
That might not be a legitimate term; all the better since no one should sit down to write about ice cream and end up here.

Anyway.
Storm.
Nice, easy storm. Thunder, yes. Lightning, plentiful. Wind? Perfect: musical without moaning.
Listening, enjoying, cooling off in the mellow little storm - yes, it was just strong enough to be called a storm - I was reminded of rainy nights on family vacation.

Chased from the dark beach by the wind and rain, we sat around the table and played Gin Rummy [house rules], Hearts or Stratego (before Risk was invented, this is what brothers and sisters played when they wanted to alienate themselves from one another).

Even if one of our number didn't actively participate in the game [ahem! Dad!] they didn't isolate themselves in a quieter corner, but read a book somewhere nearby. Since it was vacation, we rarely had a bedtime, but usually had ice cream or popcorn.

When this nice not-quite-a-grown-up storm chased me from my porch seat, I realized I needed ice cream. Really. The best way to experience a good thunder shower is with a bowl of vanilla ice cream, regardless of what time of day it is. Consider it a moment of vacation.

Just don't try to write any free-verse poetry about it.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Buzzards Circling

I was driving between baseball practice schedules this morning, a bit caught up in some melancholic thoughts.  Really, I was trying to keep these thoughts from mastering me. A little self-pity usually leads to a lot of self-pity which either spins off into Angry Mom mode or Chocolate-laden Self Loathing.Who wants to scream, binge or loathe?
Not me.
Up ahead, I saw some buzzards circling in the field.
Lovely. Just what everyone needs to get out of a slump: reminders of death and decay.
But these birds weren't just circling; they seemed to be effortlessly floating higher and higher. It really looked like they had caught an updraft and were being pulled to elevations beyond their own strength.
Grasping for inspiration, I tried to think "soaring above" thoughts.
"This stumbling block can become a stepping stone."
"Things always look better tomorrow."
"I will not feel sorry for myself." 
"My mother loves me." [Hey, sometimes that's the best I can muster.]

But you know what?
It didn't work.  I couldn't get past the fact that they were buzzards.
'Buzzards' is a pretty funny word whether you say it, spell it, or just think it.
I have to say, Disney has helped shape this image for me.




Thank you, Walt. Thank you so very much.
I may not have felt a great Inspirational Moment, but I did get a small chuckle. Sometimes that's all you need.


Monday, June 10, 2013

Strange Musings

I have always pictured the "narrow" road as a tiny, yet paved, street stretching arrow straight into the horizon.  But today I wondered if it could be more like a hiking trail through the woods. Because that would not only be more difficult to follow, but it would be much more lovely with all the trees.  If I can put a request in for my own personal Biblical analogy, I would like the forest version of the narrow path.


An additional benefit would be avoiding sunburn.
Although there would probably be a lot more mosquitoes, but I'm sure they would have a Spiritual comparison.

I think I will stop now and take the narrow path to the kitchen and breakfast.