Spring

The sky arches over me in a perfect shade of cornflower blue, smooth and clean. A breeze caresses my cheeks, blowing wisps of hair across my eyes and in the lip balm coating my mouth. Pink and white dogwoods, crabapple blossoms and lilac bunches dance on their branches, waving to me as I pass them on my noontime stroll. Daffodils and crocus peek through brown licorice mulch newly spread on neat springtime flowerbeds.

I inhale and exhale in a steady rhythm, matching my stride. Thoughts pass through my mind on their way to oblivion, spending as much time in my consciousness as the cars whizzing by on the street. Time expands in a wide-open gesture of joy and peacefulness, then contracts into exquisite detail. Petals twiddle at me, heads nod, leaves bow me on by.

Birds zoom in front of me, heralds on my path. Finch dart over my head, performing their giddy acrobatics, expressing the renewed blood coursing through their veins. Robins poke their beaks into the warm top layer of soil, enjoying the rewards of surviving another winter. A chorus reaches out to me from bushes and trees, the varied voices making a perfect song for the day.

Tilting my face to the sun, I relax, accepting peace for this brief thirty minute outing, thanking God for this gift.