Perfect Day

What more could I want than this perfect day? Lazy clouds drifting across a pale blue sky, sun blazing down warmth, a cool pond to jump into when the heat brings a need for refreshment. I lie around all day on the dock, bobbing gently with the slow sloshing of the water and occasional big waves from passing motorboats. Gentle breezes rustle the leaves and cool things off just a little bit.Sipping Power Ade , first cool from a bottle with beads of sweat in response to the heat, then warm when the sun’s rays have gazed on it a while. A good book – the kind you didn’t plan on reading but stumbled upon when looking for something to dive into. I got this one (The Poisonwood Bible) at the used bookstore along with a handful of other books, most of which I’ve never heard of. The book has chapters of the perfect length – just long enough for me to get hot and need to cool off in the shimmering water. Spending the day in my bathing suit, the one I’ve had for so many years and just can’t get myself to get rid of because it’s just so familiar and fits just right, although the strap on the top is now held together with a safety pin.

Sunglasses. A hat. Power Ade. Salty potato chips (dipped in ketchup). Sunscreen. A good book. Sunshine. A dock on a cool lake. I wish everyday could be like today with such peace and ease. Nothing I have to do but be. Not really lazy but peaceful, serene, and introspective. Warmed by the soft, bright sunshine and cooled by the rippling blue water. Nothing else seems to matter but this moment.
--June 26, 2007