A Quiet Corner

I love coming away to my secret hideaway when I can. It’s cool and inviting in here in the summer – under the deck, and quite comfortable – with the beach chair and an old footstool I had set up here a long time ago for times like these. It’s lovely to get away from the TV noises, and hear the birds singing instead. I sometimes bring a cup of coffee and a pocketful of walnuts, or sometimes a book to read, or my journal to write in, but most of the time I spend it doing nothing – just looking out through the slats of the lattice, watching a cardinal sitting at the top of the pine tree, or being really quiet so the mother robin wouldn’t be afraid to come in and check on her eggs or chicks in her nest above one of the beams, or peering closely at the tiny spider weaving quite a web across anything and everything in its way, or smiling at the two pretty yellow butterflies chasing each other, flitting, flirting, fluttering. Here, I’m not shy to sing a little louder, or smile to myself. The smooth white river rock under my bare feet feel cool to the touch. I sometimes bring my small tray of outdoor paints down here, and paint some of these stones – pretty pinks and greens, bright blues and reds, flowers and rainbows, ladybugs and dragonflies. I write messages on the other side – Faith, Courage, Hope, Peace, Believe, etc., and leave them at places where people might find them. It’s just a little present to the person who may find it, and may have needed that little word of encouragement at that moment.

(I gave away all my stones right now, but I'll post a picture when I make the next batch)