AHHHHHHHHH -- heaven

The sun has now risen above the chair, but this little slice of heaven is what I'm talkin' about!

I woke up this morning ready to go skiing.  The sun was streaming in the window and I had heard the conditions were still good -- with total trail coverage.  I figured, since the mountain is closing this weekend, that it would be worth going over and getting in some runs.

After I dropped off Maddie, I drove into the driveway and calculated how much time I needed to get ready and be at the mountain by 9:00.  I was trying to decide if I had time to fit in juicing (though I had a full cup of coffee that I had just picked up at the convenience store -- some mornings the thought of coffee sounds wonderful, while others I can't imagine having any) when I stepped on the front porch and saw that the rocking chairs were bathed in sunlight.

I had been sitting in one yesterday evening reading a book, and the book was still there.  Without much thought I took my cup of coffee and body and placed both in the chair, facing the sun.  Ahhhhhhhhhhh.  Oh, it felt good.  The sun was warm and delicious, the coffee was aromatic and soothing and the three dogs found a way to wrangle themselves so they all had a place at my feet.  For a long while I just sat there, eyes closed, and meditated and breathed in the cool spring air.  At first I was very aware of how DAMN LOUD the road is at the bottom of the hill, and I was disgusted as a truck huffed and puffed its way up the hill (it seems to take an eternity -- you can hear the truck groaning and moaning, the gears shifting, the creaking of the poor vehicles bones as it struggles to make the grade ... but it's really TORTURE when you are tuned into it!)

At last the truck came to the top and I opened an eye to see what it was (the road is currently posted for a some ton limit) but it wasn't really a huge truck.  I was glad to see it gone, then I returned to my peaceful place.  And as I calmed down -- so did the world.  The overall sounds of our petroluem-based society were gradually replaced by the sounds of birds.  The dogs were especially intrigued by the trilling of some odd bird in the woods across the road ... and it was as though the bird was watching us, because as soon as we stopped looking for it, it would trill again!  The moment the dogs put their heads back down, the bird would shout "yoo hoo, over here!" and up their heads would pop!

Then it became cool as the world quieted even more and I could hear the buzzing of insects, almost feel the movement of birds wings as they flew by ... and the searing rays of the sun were illuminating my face ... making me feel as though spring had, finally, FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY!  Arrived.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

And I don't know how, but suddenly all traffic ceased on the road.  I had even said to Peter last night that he had no idea how busy our road was -- that the traffic was constant and noisy and that I felt the need to move deeper into the woods!  It was almost as though the place (the place being Freedom Acres ... which has always been an entity of its own) was attempting to prove to me that it was still the same sanctuary I had discovered well over ten years ago -- and despite being on the front porch, as opposed to the back deck which overlooks a field and woods and is very, very private, I was able to experience that sense of "oh, this place is heaven and where else would you want to be?" right out there in front, with full exposure to the world.

Then I thought what I must look like to passersby.  In the sun, coffee cup clutched in hand, a book on my lap and three dogs surrounding me.  Wouldn't you go by someone like that and envy them completely?  It is 9:30 in the morning and it is almost 65 degrees on the front porch!  There is not a black fly to be had -- I have all the doors and windows open in the house and both the dogs and myself are moving from inside to out as though it is all one world!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Really, that's all I can say!