Dance of Life

The whole day yesterday was so soft, spring-like and lovely, but the evening was pure airy magic. Shawn had just left for work when I looked outside (saw pale blue sky of pre-dusk through trees) and decided I had to go out in it, so I got dressed (I was in yoga clothes) and pulled on my boots and stepped outside with a sigh of relief.

The world was deeply still, but warm light was still touching the tops of the trees. It was as if they were standing drenched and revelling in the day that'd just been. some young kids were playing with a ball in the park. It smelt so good, like spring: dead leaves and silken brown, tightly-curled ferns and freshly cut grass - all having soaked up the sun all day, and now releasing their warm scents. whiffs of cedar and pine and the faintest, sweet smell of early blossoms mingled. It was high and clear and sweet. I took HUGE breaths through my nose (Egg would have been quite affronted by my flared and quivering nostrils).

Also yesterday, Shawn and I were on a cleaning streak, and Shawn finally cleaned up all his tools and mess on our back patio. It's now completely clear, with a striped rug, and even a hammock! our patio looks awesome. He also snipped all the dead fern and stalks around the yard. Then he lay and swung in the hammock reading harry potter, while I sat on the couch inside and drew my vision of what I want our patio to look like, with potted plants and perhaps a portable bamboo fence. We had the sliding glass door open so we could talk, and music was playing. When the music stopped you heard a very far off chainsaw (so far off it was a peaceful buzz, like a bumblebee), soft voices carried over on the breeze, a crow or two, and (what sounded like) hundreds of tiny birds hidden away. twittering, chirping, screeching with joy. I like to stop and see the day through a song bird's eyes. they are obviously over-joyed about spring being here. they sing as happily on a grey day as a sunny one...when I look at the day through the sounds of their singing, it becomes huge and sacred.

I take any excuse to go outside these days. sometimes Shawn joins me, sometimes he doesn't. He doesn't have all day to be idle, like I do.  But the other day he did join me when I walked to Tonquin. It was a most lovely day, soft and warm and alive with birds and busy little insects. Shawn and I took deep, deep breaths as we walked, and stopped often to look at the view. We chose to go down the steps to the beach, where the tide was out, exposing smoothed and rippled rock dimpled with tidal pools, encrusted with barnacles and slick shining colonies of mussels, with streaks of deep wine red from the algae. I enjoy going exploring among the exposed rock - it always feels to me like I'm walking through secret underwater passageways and rooms usually used by creatures of the sea. I love how the rocks get twisted and smoothed and shaped. The beach at low tide just fires my imagination right up!

Shawn is home - he got a new job! we are celebratory just now!