The First Time

It is the dead of summer in the deep South. Always warm, now the days scorch us with blistering sun and drench us with humidity. Wet underwear is the gift (Ha!) of even an early morning walk.

As the heat lessens somewhat and the shelter of shadows lengthen, the late afternoons become a good time to run errands, dog-walk and water drooping flowers. Yesterday, I stepped outside to grab that last bag of groceries. It was late for shopping, even in this heat. I was stopped by cicada’s song. It was overwhelmingly beautiful. It reverberated around me in a cocoon of sound. Loud. Reverent. A symphony.

Suddenly, I was transported back to my childhood. Playing tag with my brothers just before dark, letting fireflies light on my fingers, the velvet dark a secret place. Golden lit windows were beacons of all that waited inside…dinner, parents, cool sheets. But outside. Outside. Fragrant, sharp smell of cut grass, honeysuckle sweet on the lips, tomatoes bursting with tangy juice running down my chin. All that and more, rushing back to me in that moment.

This morning, though still hot, I felt (sensed, smelled?) the first tingle of fall on an unexpected, errant wind.

They say if you really live in every moment, experience what you observe and feel as if for the first time, every time, it is grace.

Wow. Those cicadas.

magical dragonfly

The Soul should always stand ajar
That if the Heaven inquire
He will not be obliged to wait
                                -Emily Dickinson (1055, 1896)

JULY 2015 BOOK SELECTIONS: STILL LIFE WITH BREAD CRUMBS & DELICIOUS!

Actually I have read or listened to four-plus books this month but that would have been way too long of a title. I don't believe in bashing other authors in print (karma and all that), so I have only included my favorites.

First, on the recommendation of a friend, I read Unwritten by Charles Martin. I felt the beginning of the book did not show the promise of the full text. Initially disappointed, I later particularly enjoyed the descriptions of France. It was an insider’s view and worth a look, if for nothing else, for that alone. Very cinematic.

Next was the novel, Still Life With Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen. Quindlen, a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist, never disappoints. Still Life examines the life of a once well-known photographer and her journey, born of necessity, into a totally new way of living. The theme seems to be a recognition that life can continue to surprise, overwhelm, challenge and evolve. I absolutely loved it.

 

I can’t leave this author without mentioning another favorite: A Short Guide to a Happy Life. I am not usually a fan of this type of book but this one is a big exception. It should be required reading. The title says it all.

It was a true pleasure reading Delicious! by Ruth Reichl. If you are a foodie, so much the better. But, that is by no means a disclaimer. Whether you are a “foodie” or not, this book delights.  It engages with its lightness at the beginning but becomes an intriguing mystery as the story progresses. Reichl is the former Editor in Chief of Gourmet Magazine. Although a published author, this is her first work of fiction. Recommend.