New Inspiration

Dear Friends,

As I welcome another beautiful Sunday in Atenas, I am very
aware that the countdown to 2015 will begin in earnest soon.
Savvy marketers are using every platform available to coax us
out of our homes to spend time and energy (and hopefully money)
sampling their goods. Although I don’t enjoy the barrage of ads,
I do applaud the creative invitations that encourage us to get out
and enjoy the company of our family while moving our bodies.
Get out early today. It is refreshing to look at decorations and
prepare for our own upcoming celebrations.

On November 15th for the past few years, I have gone out on my
terrace to admire a landscape bursting with the gentle color of the
flowers of the sugar cane. In the last 3-4 years, there has been
a decrease of flowers because of an increase in construction in the
fields that were formerly devoted to growing this amazing crop.
When I took in the view yesterday afternoon, I was alarmed because
the height of the trees on our property made it difficult for me to
distinguish the flowers in the distance. I could not take a picture
and I was very disappointed.

I carried on with my day doing the odd chore but mostly relaxing
and thinking about the week ahead. There are exciting projects
that tempt me. I am eager to catch up with friends over lunch or
coffee. My life is following a path that has been unexplored and
is very promising. On the drive to my guitar lesson, I was able to
see the flowering sugar cane and I was comforted by its existence.
The perspective up close, however, is not as astounding as the
panoramic view from the terrace.

Before I began writing this morning, I read a few past essays. I
ate a delicious breakfast prepared by my husband while I sought
inspiration. I walked out on the terrace to a spot where I knew
the sun’s rays had not had a chance to heat up the ceramic tile
and burn my bare feet. I looked up and was granted an astounding
view of the flowers of the sugar cane! I celebrated this inspiration
by getting my camera and taking a picture. My husband said:
“It was there all along, sometimes you have to know where
to look.” Or in my case, where to look from!

Have a wonderful day and a terrific week, Marietta