The Ordinary most Extraordinary
Days of Mercy
At the beginning of the year, I saw this sunrise and made a picture of it - wondering if this was a sign about how the year would turn out. I hoped it was because I had just come through a season of darkness.
Rainbow Days
More harbingers appeared. Each time I saw a rainbow, I was reminded again, that no matter what was happening, I could reach out for hope.
I could never resist stopping to take pictures. This usually made me a bit late on arrival. My husband would wonder why I was late getting home, and then I would show him the pictures and he would nod his understanding of my explanation. One cannot wait to get home to enjoy the rainbow. It might be gone by then.
Bonus Days
Each day on my way to work, I watch the scenery unfold before me. I never fail to be exhilarated by what I can see. Mountains in front and behind. Cloud formations. Silver-pink sunrises. Rain splashing down. Snow falling. And of course, blue herons out in the field. When they begin flight, they rise straight up in the air, their wing spans unfolding. Sometimes this happens right in front of the vehicle, with no warning, so the driver must always be on the lookout.
Work Days
One ordinary extraordinary blue-sky day, my #2 son and I had an adventure of delivering flyers, and this is the scene we had to suffer through. It was tough, but someone had to do it. When we were done for the day, we stopped to celebrate with a Booster Juice. It is one of the things I am most thankful for - opportunities to be together, no matter the occasion.
Beach Days
There were 'beach days' when we got
to pretend that we had nothing else to do, but people watch and think about how we would handle the challenges of windsurfing. And other beach days, when we just packed up and went and took in the salt air, and dreamed about winning the lottery so we could afford a beach house.
Soccer Days
There were days of watching soccer - sometimes all my family at once, because four of them were on the "Team Jellybean" - and then we would re-convene at DQ and share a bit more time re-hashing the games.
The "Away Games" were always a chance to see how the other half lived. Driving over the bridge(s) was always fun. Mostly, I would drop broad hints about all the places we could visit now that we were on the other side of the bridge. My husband would look at me and smile and say "Do you smell brownies?" [ I am like my mother - she would 'smell brownies' in the air whenever my dad and she took a road trip - which would result in my dad stopping at the nearest restaurant for a snack.]
Garden Days
Some of my favourite days were trips to take in the work of others in their gardens. It was always inspiring to see the wonders other people had wrought in their corners. These trips were enhanced by the company of some of my favourite people in the world.
New Season Days
The arrival of fall brought with it
a different season to our lives as well. We are the parents of young adults, who don't necessarily let their parents know all the particulars of their lives - social or otherwise. So we settled into a routine of 'just the two of us' - punctuated by the occasional appearance of one or more of them for dinner.
Taking a Break Days
In between work gigs, I try to find parks to eat my lunch. That way, I can take in some of the beauty around me, and refresh my soul before I go to work again.
Dance in the Storm Days
By now, we are more used to the wind storms in our locale. The storms don't keep me up as long at night, because I have seen quite a few of them and know, that unless our neighbour's house comes a drifting by, it's not that big a deal. After they are over, I go on a walk about to pick up the pieces. One day, I found our small neighbour's artwork decorating the fence. I thought I'd take a picture to prove it.
Sad Days
There was a very sad day when our Kola died. She slowly slipped away from us in June. I have never had a dog before her, and for all the preliminary angst she caused me by chewing through everything in sight, she had become a true family pet. It was very hard to say goodbye to her. I was so glad that she was able to die with the sounds of her family around her; not in a sterile veterinary clinic. We buried her with her blanket. Henrik lay down at the hole which my husband dug, and watched with his head down on his paws. His body language reflected our collective grief.
Happy Days
One ordinary day was bedazzled by our daughter's wedding. She was stunning. Fortunately, I had false eyelashes put on by the make-up artist my daughter had hired, so I couldn't let myself cry. But I have had happy tears since then. It takes a long time to process such an event. There were so many treasured memories from that day. I have taken them out often and looked at them.
Making Lemonade Days
Some days required having the courage to turn lemons into lemonade. Such was one day, when our son called to say his vehicle had broken down on the way to taking the "Avalanche Rescue" course. So we took a drive and enjoyed the view along the way. Once we found him, we had lunch at the local restaurant, took pictures by the local totem pole, and when we were done, we went back to the vehicle, clocking the miles as we went, so we could tell the tow truck where to pick up the now- dead vehicle.
Another day, sometime in 2014 we will have to help him solve the problem of not having wheels, but for that day, we decided to make the best of it and enjoy the scenery which is within a few hours of driving distance.
Memory -Making Days
And now, we have reached the end of 2013. In the wise words of Frank Sinatra "It was a very good year". 365 days of the ordinary, most extraordinary.
Comments
Thank you!
JC