There is a magic to the landscape of Scotland. The shadows seem to snuggle in the hills, the sun knows just where to shine, and colors tend to find their most unique shade of perfection. Like Walt Whitman said ~ “I swear to you, there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell”. To me, Scotland is one of those divine things – indescribable!
Magic always happens when the sun kisses the sea!
for Nancy Merrill’s A Photo a Week Challenge: Sun & Water
Photo taken near Stockholm, Sweden in the Baltic Sea
After weeks filled with hectic preparation
sadly, another Christmas has come and gone.
Anticipation of festive joy was riding high
as a propensity for Christmas magic
was all it took to keep my hope and dreams alive.
Now the holiday is over and the magic is gone –
packed away in plastic containers
amid shiny baubles and strings of lights.
Hope has become just hope again
and dreams have become just dreams
… until next year
when the magic is unpacked.
A simple reminder to stop and smell the flowers!
Speaking of flowers, here’s a haiku for Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge – Chance & Unite:
United by chance-
seeds, rich soil, sun and slow rain.
Magic flowers grow.
Children’s minds are simply delightful! The other day my granddaughter told me she was sure there were magic shadows in her room! Wanting her to pursue the thought a little further, I asked what she thought they were doing there. She didn’t know. I’ll admit, I was a little disappointed! I mean, if she is creative enough to come up with “magic shadows”, isn’t she capable of more? I wrote this little story to help set her mind in motion and spark her imagination. Who knows what she might think of the next time those magic shadows appear in her room!
Somewhere between the light of day and the edge of night lies the peaceful kingdom of sleep. It is a world where twilight fairies and magic shadows live and play together. They ride into your room on fluffy white clouds so they can peek inside your dreams. They let you drift beside them to the places they love best, like Hope and Happiness, because that’s where you want to go when you dream.
Sometimes the magic shadows play tricks on your mind and you think you’re somewhere you’re not: a rolling green meadow where tall prairie grass tickles your nose as it sways in the gentle breeze; on a carousel of beautiful flowers whose soft, fragrant petals open and close to enfold you as it goes round and round; or overlooking a clear mountain lake that looks like shiny blue glass.
Meanwhile, the twilight fairies revel in their hike to the top of a rainbow. They stop for a brief rest before sliding down the other side, giggling all the way. If you’re lucky, they will take you with them as they soar like eagles in the sky. Then, just for fun, they will drop you into the waiting arms of friendly trees who catch you and bend down to the ground to set you on your feet again.
Soon enough the magic shadows and twilight fairies retreat into darkness and ever so slowly your room once more fills with the light of day!
Sometimes I can’t sleep at night. It’s nothing new. Back when I was working and raising my family, stress and worry about life’s everyday problems seemed to weigh on me like an anchor. When my daughter was a teenager, I rarely slept. After my mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and failing fast, I would lie awake most nights. Then it was my husband’s snoring that kept me awake. But eventually my daughter grew up, my mother moved to heaven, I retired from my job and my husband suddenly stopped snoring! I had no excuse not to sleep! That’s when I discovered I simply choose to be awake. I enjoy being up in the middle of the night when all others in my world are sound asleep.
I love my house at night. It appears to be spotless and tidy! During the day, little things like crumbs on the counter top and scuffs on the floor bother me to distraction. They seem to scream “clean me” until I do just that! But at night I see no crumbs on the counter, no scuffs on the floor. There is no dust, nothing is out of place and my windows are squeaky-clean! The mundane tasks of the day don’t even whisper my name in the middle of the night.
I swear some nights the moon shines through the window over my front door brighter than the sun ever does, even on the most dazzling summer day, and the shadows it creates are just different somehow! More magical! More alive! The grandfather clock in the dining room that simply “tick-tock’s” during the day is a virtual symphony in the middle of the night! The noises of the house are special. They are my friends, in the night, when we are alone!
I like to write in my night world. Words just come alive in my mind, kind of like those shadows and sounds do. I can come up with words that don’t even exist in my vocabulary during the day or when I am face to face with another person. People tend to intimidate me, but words don’t! They don’t judge. They are not harsh. They are not condescending. They do not disenchant me unless I want them to.
When I can no longer keep my eyes open, I turn off the lamp beside my chair and quietly make my way to the bedroom. Well, except for that night I ran smack into a chair! “Oh, excuse me” I mumbled, a bit bewildered! Once I realized I had just apologized to a solid, inanimate object, I knew it was way past time for me to go to bed!
Exhaustion takes over once or twice a week and I go to bed at a reasonable hour. So tired I have managed to become that I don’t wake up during the night at all. In the morning after such a night I am briefly disappointed that I didn’t get to visit my night world. Then it hits me! Tonight! Yes, tonight I won’t need sleep! Tonight I have something to look forward to!
