Stop And Smell The Roses

The incessant beating of rain on the tin roof drowned out the sounds of the melodic ripple of water cascading down a rocky path, as well as the call of the Loon.  As I sat quietly in the addition to my trailer recently, watching the raindrops dance on the surface of the creek, I was taken back to my childhood.  Rain was always my friend and it provided me with some comfort on those days that I couldn’t go outside to play.  A sickly child, I was often kept home from school and I loved to sit by the big kitchen window, watching rain bubbles form in the puddles outside the window.

 I’ve never minded being out in the rain and love nothing more than to go for a brisk walk after a thunderstorm when the air smells so fresh and clean.  Rain might have cancelled the odd picnic, but it never prevented me from doing what I had otherwise planned to do.  No point in starting a fire in the outdoor pit as the rain would quickly put it out.  And so I set out for a walk around the campground – complete with boots and raincoat – didn’t need an umbrella, as the hood on my jacket was all that I needed.

 I guess you could say that walk was an attempt to stop and smell the roses – however, there were no roses in sight but I did stop to admire and appreciate what was all around me – from the clusters of wild daisies to the many wild rabbits gallantly playing chase around the campsites – oblivious to the humans they encountered.  I’m sure they were aware of us, but their fear of humans has lessened as the summer progresses and they mix and mingle with us.  It’s nothing to be sitting by the campfire and have these friendly animals lazily scamper right by my feet and I see them come out of the woods to feed every morning and evening.

 Of course the squirrels and chipmunks are constant companions and continually run across the deck – again, by my feet.  Wild berries from raspberries, to blueberries and the odd wild strawberry, surround the campground.  And everyone who spend their summers there, respect all that nature is providing for us. 

It’s just wonderful to relax by the fire with a cup of tea and watch the Canada geese glide over the water’s surface or see the ripples in the water caused by fish jumping.  But the best feeling for me is early evening on a clear day. You can look out at the water and see the calmness take hold as little by little a mirror-like calmness spreads throughout the creek and all at once the reflection of land on the water intertwines with the land itself until it’s hard to see where one ends and the other begins – a wonderful view for a camera buff.

 There is just so much to be thankful here and to appreciate.   The vegetative scenery, the quiet, the animals frolicking without fear of injury, the water and the campfire.  Each has it’s own place in a tranquil heart – and if your heart isn’t tranquil when you arrive, in no time it will be.  How could you not enjoy this escape from commitments, schedule and obligations?

 The rain continued its dance while the serenity tape played in the background.  As I gazed out another window I saw the silk sunflowers I ‘planted’ at the base of a tree stump, swaying in the breeze.  Having decided to create a personal touch to my space in the woods, sunflowers have been stenciled along the outside wall of the addition and a straw lady clutching a bouquet of sunflowers greets visitors to my front door.  To add a bit more whimsy to my home away from home I am in the middle of creating a sunflower tree.  Not sure how it’s going to turn out but as long as it provides passers by with a smile as they look at it, then I’ll be happy. 

 To add to the theme of positive thoughts I will be displaying a treasured gift from my next door neighbor, Josh - a wooden heart from which a wooden sunflower hangs and the message in the heart:  “Nothing but sunny days ahead”. 

 As I listened to the increased tempo of the rain, I viewed that day as a ‘sunny day’ because without the rain, we wouldn’t have any sunflowers.  And so, each element offers it’s own brand of tranquility.   Life doesn’t get any better than this.