Life at Home

Here I sit in my backyard watching the sun shine perfectly through the trees that line the creek. The sunshine lights the green leaves making them glow. I rock in my hammock for a while, watching my dog peruse around the yard. This little acre that is my home. To my far right is my little clubhouse, on its stilt-like structure it looks like it will wobble and shake, but its as solid and sure as my family. I smile as my eyes wander to the little swing tied to the branch of the biggest black walnut tree. The seat of the swing is so old it's growing the green splotches you see on tree bark. This place feels magical as the leaves flutter down from the walnut tree, spotting everything with yellow foliage. I can imagine this place as clearly as if I'm sitting there. I can still smell the smoke the fire pit made through the summertime. The memories, the marshmallows..the laughter and horseplay. The essence of not just summertime..but friendship, love, family, community and childhood. And most of all fun. Without worry or judgement just fun. I remember the sparklers we spun around in the dark, drawing things and feeling like we were magical, spurting sparks out of our magic wands...or chucking glow sticks through the air. Mimicking the flight of a fairy. Or sitting there on the deck watching the fireflies blink, wink and twinkle. Or remembering rolling down the hill in all seasons. In winter we feel the cold breeze and snow in our faces. In the fall we remember the smell of leaves and earth and damp soil. In spring we feel the cool dewy grass dampen our clothes as we spin seeing green all around. In summer we remember the crickets sound, and the softness of the grass, we squint through the blurry sunshine as we roll. The memories I've felt and lived here are magical. I live in a fairy tale. It's not perfect. But nor are fairy tales. It's not about a happy ending for me though. It's for a happy middle. A happy chapter. A happy story all in all. I don't need a happily ever after, I want to experience the happy moments. I want to remember them all.

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