Well, I thought I'd managed to miss out on Herb's cold, but I should have known better. It's been a couple of bad days, down for the count. Going through boxes of tissues and vats of tea and chicken soup.
Yet, there's something kind of wonderful about being able to stop out for a couple of days. Pull up the covers, doze off on the couch, read mystery novels, and rest a bit. This morning, I sat in the kitchen, which gets the morning sun, and I enjoyed the silvery look of the frost-edged grass. As the sun warmed the air, the lawn got greener and greener until all the frost had turned to water, making the grass sparkle in that lovely morning sun.
I made an entire fat round teapot full of Lady Grey tea for myself, which I drank with some honey mixed in to soothe my throat. And, for the first Sunday in quite a while, I relaxed with the Sunday New York Times - the design magazine, to be precise. Herb had gone out to have breakfast with his daughter and her family, and I had the whole quiet place to myself.
I read the design section cover to cover, stopping to thoroughly enjoy the many interesting and wonderful photos. And, at the end, I sighed with great satisfaction - and a little regret that it was done.
This, for me, is what "recreation" is all about. It is literally the act of re-creating myself, my mood, my balance, my well of inspiration. I give thanks for such a delightful morning. Warmed by the morning sun, drinking delicious tea, and expanding my mind with the experiences and images offered by such talented people.
I give thanks for the ability to let my mind roam where it will. Pondering the amazing talents of people in the paper. Thinking about how the magazine was conceived and then pulled together: words, images, emotions. Feeling a sense of wonder at how little marks on paper have the power to convey ideas, emotions, perspectives that in so many ways are at once universal and yet unique.
And I give thanks that there is inspiration in the world that helps me see things in a new light, while at the same time underlining the many blessings there are in my life.
Happy Sunday to all.
