In pursuit of a sunset

Gentle ocean calls its hymn
Singing of the depths of endless things,
Possibilities of a new day to bring
The comforts of a bliss awakening.

In hues of sunsets I recall
the songs of a sky beckoning
to sit a spell and create a dream
I heed to the notes singing of the soul.

Blessed light to mark the time
casting shadows on treasured thoughts
yet washing away the tired energy
creating new vibration to start again fresh.

I come to find the distant shore
meeting the horizon in shades of blue
stacked like colors on a painted palette
masterpiece to soothe to the core.

It is in this place we become whole
following the rhythm of each wave
washing in the warm salt bath
becoming a piece of the scene.

The things I lose sleep over…

Well, okay perhaps I don’t really lose sleep over this, as sleep is so very precious and big yellow elbows just make for a quick yummy bad for me lunch. I was talking to hubby the other day as we perused the aisles looking for some staples for the week. The spiral Kraft mac-n-cheese was on special for .89 cents at Save-a-Lot, a bargain when  you think about it. Something we both like and have upon occasion so into the cart it went. (well perhaps two boxes went in..but I’ll never tell) and I cooked it up for a quickie later in the week. Filling two bowls and grabbing my bottle of Heinz (because everyone knows you must have only Heinz ketchup on Kraft mac, but not on Velveeta mac, just the Kraft)

and was a little dismayed to find the noodles were quite small, as in I felt like I needed a magnifying glass to see the little things. The contents in the bowl were much lower too so I just thought perhaps like anything else these days, honey, they shrunk the Kraft. Fast forward to a few weeks later and being the wise soul I am see the Kraft regular noodle type (the happy smiling elbow one) on sale for 1.25$ buy one get one free. Another bargain this wise shopper thinks to herself and begins to compare packaging. Well the bargain .89 cent was shy of almost two ounces. Holy cow, that’s why I was still starving when I was done….they shrunk it and the portion size. Now I’m all for healthy eating most of the time, see….So just last night hubby grilled up some macadamia nut encrusted sea bass and I made a salad to go with…yummy hmmm? So why am I obsessing over the mac-n-cheese? I think that if you’re going to shrink the contents, you should shrink the box or something. Here people think they’re getting a great deal and really, some child may go hungry because two ounces are missing…AND….it still calls for 4 tablespoons of butter regardless of size. No wonder we’re getting fatter. Another thing that irked me is I was so excited to find a new creamier version, so of course of the two I bought, I got one of each:thick-n-creamy and regular version.So I pop them out of the closet and compare notes (because that’s what inquiring minds do you know) and you know why it’s thick ‘n creamy? Because you add an extra quarter cup milk to the stuff. That’s the only difference…How much did they pay for packaging when on the original they could have put for creamier version, add more milk? I don’t get it….I don’t even add milk to the regular, just a little water for some moisture…Now I have to go buy milk to make the creamy version?…not happening folks, Not. But Kraft mac-n-cheese is always near to my heart with their catchy little sayings and they make you feel like a kid again, go on, have some of your kids portion as you make it, they’ll never know…unless of course it’s the shrunken version in which case they’re gonna starve. Now for the real kicker, they have to entice you with new flavors, see:

and I even came across one that called for merlot, and some now come with Chipotle, Jalapeño, etc….I think they’re trying to give us ulcers while they’re at it. So enough on the Kraft…perhaps I can talk hubby into splurging on another wedge of sea bass….Now that my friends is worth its weight in gold. No shrinkage intended…but Ooohh, it’s so good.

Into the autumn of life

My thoughts move into the Autumn of life, sitting at a window watching the world move here and there, always moving, like the moments of life. Days of endless summer seem to push the thought of Autumn farther to the back recesses of the mind, a place that does not yet exist, although each day that passes, waking with a new ache, a new pain replacing yesterdays malady, makes the weight of the changes so much more profound. I don’t want to be old. I don’t want to watch the world move without me, without my words drifting out from a thick volumes pages, without someone somewhere saying, yes, she was someone beautiful. Will I remember as my hair turns to brilliant shades of white, glistening like the Northern snow I left behind in search of the sun, each fragment of joy that I embraced, each word of kindness spoken, each piece of beauty, will it still remain the same? Fresh like a crisp red apple that falls from a tree, waiting to be tasted, even though I know before my lips even prick the skin, I know the taste will be tart, the consistency crunchy, the juice so very sweet. It’s these things I want to remember. The Autumn of life so far away yet I still ponder it in my youth, for it is youth that sustains me. The feeling of exceeding each day in wonder, in memory. I need the laughter, the love of a moment that may never pass this way again, the exuberance of the failed attempts at hula hooping or the glee as I awake in the morning, rolling on the bed with the two hounds, feeling like I’m part of a pack of puppies as they wag their tail, rubbing their selves around me with a toothy smile and a bubble gum pink tongue hanging as if they themselves are relishing this moment. The rain came down with flashes of lightning and it lifted me as it has a tendency to do. It is cleansing, this rain. The little hound sits by my feet, knowing I will protect her or perhaps it is she protecting me. The sheets of water fell for a little while then moved on, it’s mission done for now, perhaps to return, we shall see. For here there is constant change, sun to cloud to dark to light and back round again. Perpetual summer but the rains that I remember and loved best always came in autumn. The smell of earth being washed clean, the damp leaves that would now become a part of the earth, from life to death, full circle. I am not morose, instead I am capturing the meandering path these thoughts take, in a land of people who move slow, elderly bodies with kind eyes that pass in the market and nod a simple hello, and even to poets who reach a long lived age and with a vibrancy I too wish to secure for myself. So many lessons to learn on living and staying young, lessons from nature, and from memories of a lifetime still to embrace.

To the young and old at heart, keep on keeping on and don’t forget to laugh and embrace the world around you.