An Invincible Summer - A Woman's Journey

Over 20 years ago I was still living in a box, on a shelf, in a store. Then one day a woman tried me on. She was quick! Well, she had to be, as the pack of kids she had with her were not being all that patient. The oldest one was watching over the others, the 2nd was kind of quiet, the 3rd was taunting his siblings ceaselessly and the little one....she just wanted to try on shoes. That lady took me to the register and, of course, presented a coupon because that is how she rolls. Slipped into a bag, I was on my way home. In those first couple of years I got used  mostly in good weather and only on occasion. I saw the writing on the wall when the kids started complaining on the trail. One by one, they just lost interest, being busy with other things and not wanting to spend as much time with my lady. I got stuck in the back of beyond about 12 or 15 years ago. Each time the closet door opened my hope was raised but, alas, either the tieless Bob's or the golf shoes got pulled out and I...

It was a glorious warm day. The brilliant sun was the sort that dulled the landscape, muting the normally bright colors into pastels. We sat at the park, enjoying the warmth and the light breeze, reading The Power of One. I noticed him as soon as we pulled in. Walking slowly, his deliberate, tentative steps were those of a man that might be considerably older than he looked.  His pants were made for a larger man but the belt cinched them enough that they stayed in place, creating an abundance of fabric folds. The flannel shirt was worn but neat. He walked to his tidy car, late model, affordable from the get go, that was well taken care of. He gingerly climbed into his car and sat behind the wheel, staring at the sporting fields being blasted with water by the high pressure sprinkler system. At one point, the breeze picked up at just the right time, coinciding with the sprinkler gushing in our direction. Both of our cars were sprayed with a light mist. In response, haltingly he...

I love the word PETRICHOR which, if you don't already know, is....a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm dry weather. Isn't that wonderful? I never knew that that loveliness had a name, I only knew that petrichor makes me very happy. The other day I found another word I adore....APRICITY. APRICITY is.....the warm feeling of the sun on a cold day. It has a nice sound to it and, if I close my eyes, I can almost feel it right now. I'd love to be able to use that word in another way. Wouldn't be nice to spread apricity, bringing warmth to a fellow traveller who is in a cold, dark place? Maybe we could alter it and make it an adjective...APRICITE. I like it a lot. Go forward and be an apricite today.