Late this afternoon, purely by accident, we discovered a real-life, ye olde fashioned English sweetshop in a nearby village.
It's got the whole wall of sweets in jars, with lots to chose from, and there are old fashioned scales that measure by the ounce. And it smells like sugar and peppermint. And it's awesome! And whatever you pick gets measured into pretty little pink and white candy-striped paper bags. Squee!
While we were there--making observations purely for research purposes and definitely not because we're secretly five-year-olds whenever we encounter a wall of sweeties--a couple of kids came in after making an epic mission from two streets down on their bikes.
It was so much fun to see how solemn they were in making sure they were spending their pocket money for maximum value. We made sure we kept our expressions just as solemn when we agreed with them that they were making a sound financial investment.
The sweeties you see on the scales are just a few we had to take away... for "research" purposes obviously. Not for eating in one go. Because I would totally not be the kind of person who would accidentally disappear an entire bag of licorice bullets in the space of 15 minutes without realising it. Not at all. Nope. Not me. :blobsmilehappyeyes:
She runs through her day in the simple joy of being a child -- pretending, playing, imagining -- all the things that children do so well, and should be allowed to do with freedom. Let your inner wild child run free this week and go ahead, think a thought that defies convention!
What absorbs us, catches our attention, causes us to stop and completely focus? Is it a thought of our own, a moment of imagination and play? May it be so -- may we be enchanted and entranced by nature and life.
There is no rush, no need to hurry, no push to dart quickly and skim past this moment. This moment, right now, is enough in itself, filled with joyful and pleasurable anticipation of the evening ahead, an evening filled with possibilities and promises, spent with someone most dear.
If sailboats could smile, this one was -- on a perfect sunny day with just enough breeze to be brisk, and warm golden rays from above adding light and warmth to the mix. It was a day to just get out and explore, not worrying about any particular destination, but being satisfied with the journey itself.
“Do you still not understand? Fling the emptiness out from
your arms
into the spades we breathe: maybe the birds will
feel the thinner air with a more inward flight.”
Rilke
Dunno Elegies -The First Elegy
My painting
“Flights of Fancy” in a private collection
In my experience the first week of May here on Skye means an explosion of green. We had 24 hours of rain, the river is high and the leaves seemed to grow in front of our eyes.
Green -- it's the color of spring, new life, light, hope, and outrageous growth. Some days, when you sit by the river and watch the water flow slowly by, you swear you can hear the grass rustling as it reaches for the sky.
The brilliant color lasted in the sky for no more than fifteen minutes this morning before turning back to a uniform gray. (Skies are blue now.) Wife spotted it on her way out the door; I was busy with the dogs. Shouted for the boys (getting ready for school) to come quick. Everyone shared the view. Simple #joy —always be ready for it. 😊
Hey #Nashville friends! The Mapping Trans Joy team will be in town soon! Come share a meal with us and let’s dream big about #joy, #art, and #community