What Makes a Good Day?

Softly pelting rain on my face shield takes me back to a moment on a warm rainy day on Sheri Drive in Huntsville, Alabama.

I must’ve been no older than 6. The soft Winnie-Ther-Pooh wellies sloshing me down the street to my best friend’s house felt identical to the ones nestled on my scooter runnerboard, tucked around my bright red work satchel. I am forty-three, but I am six.

The rain drops on my clear vinyl Winnie-Ther-Pooh umbrella made a sound now so familiar as they made rivulets not unlike those tracking my helmet shield today, working with the fog on the reverse side to cloud my view. And yet I feel as though I see more clearly in this moment. I feel free.

Even as my knees are sopping with rainwater, and the cold chill traces up my legs, even as mud streams beneath my wellies, even as I have somewhere to be, I am going on my own terms. Time stands still as I inhale the fresh rain scent and perk my ears for every traffic sound. My knees are cold, my arms warm under the waterproof coat, and I am happy that I feel and move and choose. It is a good day. Share

A Beautiful Life

Hosting the Nashville Non-Fiction Writer's Meetup in my home last night reminded me of the many writing prompts I've tucked into steno books, sticky notes, journals, laptop, my memory. So many stories and reveries, a life full of joy, a life full of pain, an overload of experiences, and, at times, deafening quiet and profound aloneness and loneliness. No longer a question of "Where to begin," as the world is spinning from digertati to technerati and carrying us all along such that we only need begin with "What are you doing right now?"

The now. Now I keep moving. Now I attempt mindfulness. Now I taste a sampling of many years rolled into a moving confetti collage. And now I begin, here. I decide that this blog title will remind me to focus on the beauty in life while acknowledging what is not so beautiful. So, intermingled with the reality of life's difficulties, I will celebrate the bright orange poppies and the taste of melting chocolate and the kindnesses that people share along the way.

I will write about culinary travel, food styling, painting frenzies and artist/writer's block, my scooter fanaticism, my single-mother-of-teens journey, an abusive marriage (though not for long), dance gypsies, outdoor adventures, overcoming depression, and at times stare blankly at the blinking prompt. As I have been doing now for at least three minutes. Enjoy the day, live to the fullest of your passion, and for heaven's sake, get some fresh air....as I'm about to do. Share