Glimmer

The breeze beckoned me. She teased me as I stood at my sink scrubbing the grimy oven racks. She invited herself right into my kitchen, tenderly kissing my cheeks and playing with the untethered wisps of my hair.  “Remember what you promised yourself yesterday? That long walk? You were going to bring that fancy camera of yours with you and take the time to spoil yourself. Remember?”

Of course I remember, I countered…to no one in particular. To the breeze. To myself. I glanced at the clock on the oven and started to calculate how much time I could allow myself for this walk without ignoring the to do list that was running on a loop in my mind. Ok, I bargained. I’ll finish cleaning the oven, and then give myself an hour…

As I was calculating, a glimmer of light caught my eye. Turning back towards the breeze, I lost sight of the clock and fixed my gaze on the tree covered hillside that stretches beyond our back yard. Another glimmer. A flicker. The sun had partnered with the breeze and they were putting on quite a show. As the leaves surrendered gracefully to the gentle wind, the sunlight caught them from every angle. They fluttered and sparkled as they danced for me. “Look at us! Do you think you can capture this with your lens?”

Just do it. Just go. You’ll feel better after you walk. You did make a date with your camera. Your to-do list deadlines are self imposed. Let them go. 

Water off. Sneakers on. I grabbed my camera and took off towards the pond.

Less than ten minutes later I was watching a small red maple leaf float across the water. The shutter clicked. A duck floated by, along with a yellow leaf. Click. Click. Yes. This is good. But I better keep moving. I started up the hill unaware that a blue heron had just landed in the top of a tree and was waiting there to pose for me. How exhilarating! The right lens and perfect timing. I clicked away, lingering for at least thirty minutes with my winged subject. In spite of this great gift, that list was still nagging at me, telling me to hurry on. I heard its “tsk-tsk” as I turned down the path and autumn's new face appeared all around me, begging for her turn in front of the lens. Which leaves? Which fading plants? Focus up towards the sky or out towards the water? There just weren't enough hours to capture it all.

And then, there it was. Another glimmer of light. More subtle, more divine than the one that had pulled my eyes from the clock back in the kitchen. A small pine, tucked in the woods, with a beam of sunlight caressing the end of a bough. Follow the light. Just the whisper of a notion that swept through my mind like a tornado, carrying with it every last barrier.

I yielded.

And spent the rest of a perfect autumn afternoon following the light around my pond.

This piece was written for a Bigger Picture Blogs Writing Circle, where a group of writers convene online, respond to a prompt, and share their words to receive collective praise and constructive advice. 

You can find out more about them HERE.

And we're sharing our Simple Moments at Corinne's today.

Please join me tomorrow for Six Word Fridays. We're linking up right here on my blog and this week's word is WANDER. {click on the tab at the top for details!}