Around December 21st each year I go outside and do my little happy dance. (Don’t watch, I dance like a cow on skates!)
I will be wearing my winter jacket, and my breath will be visible in clouds, but I dance anyway because I am celebrating.
I am celebrating “Over the Hump” day – Winter Solstice. In Canada that day is December 21st. It could be called “Here Comes The Sun” day ♥
Now the daylight hours will begin to grow ! 🙂
What is winter solstice?
winter solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year, when the Sun is at its lowest daily maximum elevation in the sky.
Regardless of the snow on the driveway, and months ahead of cool mornings, I know that that every day will start to have more daylight, and less darkness.
Winter doesn’t disappear in December at all, cold days are still ahead. I may even have to shovel snow in January and February but my optimism is firm.
For a long time I can see hardly any visible difference in daylight in the mornings or evenings but in my heart I know the process of change is happening.
I can feel my optimism growing like a seed in the earth. That optimism seed was planted in December, invisibly it grows below ground, but soon it will peek it’s head above the ground.
Then it happens! There is a more light outside when I wake up in the morning.
In the afternoon there is more light when I sit down to supper.
Spring and summer are on their way! Here Comes The Sun ♥
My morning today had a sunny beginning with one dear and another deer. Of course I refer first to my dear wife Susan, and the second of the four-footed type, this deer was chilling in our neighbour’s back lawn outside our window. (love those big ears!)
Coffee in hand I dove into my email for a few minutes before some breakfast. One of the first was named to “A cup of coffee and a book” – from Restlessjo.
Restlessjo shared a link to a photographer friend, Sue, who has a series A Cup of Coffee and a Book. A neat idea for a series, don’t you agree?
I decided to join in, if you like coffee, photography, or books – take a peek or even better, say hello to Sue.
Here is my cup of coffee and books to add to the series, from my little spot on earth, Penticton BC. – David
Today’s post is the 5th instalment of Ravi’s story.
The first post was Spread Your Wings . After I wrote that post, the next two instalments (part 1 and part 2) were what happened the day Ravi left home.
Ravi left his parents home to go to a new city, a new life, a new job. In the 4th instalment, Cinnamon Buns & Peanut Butter, Ravi discovers the basis for successful relationship.
Ravi did his cleaning, and laundry. By the time noon rolled around he felt proud of his small space and every room smelled clean, even the bathroom. Mom would be proud.
But today was different, Ravi was still happy about his clean basement suite, but also a little sad, disappointed in himself really. Half asleep, he had only half slept since 5 in the morning, he felt regret.
12:22 Saturday midday
Ravi found himself walking to “Hug-A-Mug” to have a coffee and muffin. Wrapping his fingers around the mug, he looked outside.
He wanted to drop in on Marie at the bookstore, but he didn’t really have a reason to see her…. although he could bring her a cinnamon bun. Was it was too late for morning coffee treats?
Ravi knew why he was disappointed at himself. He had analyzed himself while walking uptown; his analogy was that it was just like swimming in cold water.
Ravi knew the best way to go swimming in the river, even in June when it was basically melted snow. The best way for him was to go quickly into the water and as soon as he could………Dive in! He felt wonderful! Even if he ran out quickly to the beach shivering.
But if he tried to wade into the river slowly, it was torture! He was nervous then, afraid of the cold water shock instead of the happy sound he always made when he hit the surface!
The cold water made him all tense, and sometime he would even chicken out after standing there for ten minutes. That made him frustrated and embarrassed, after it was just water.
Grandpa would have said;
Right or wrong, he had to make a decision. The road of life is paved with flat squirrels who couldn’t make up their mind.
Ravi decided he needed to dive in!
Ravi had been wading into his friendship with Marie for too long.
Of course he saw it in her face also, he wasn’t that unobservant. The air in the car had been charged with tension when he drove her home after the movies.
Finally they ran out of things to talk about and she went inside. Everything friendly of course, but the night ended on a dull note.
He should have dived in, and kissed her weeks ago. He could be happy as a friend of course, but what if it could be more?
Ravi for all his outgoing nature, wasn’t that confident, and it was worse as he really liked Marie, she was important to him. Almost 20 years old, he was a “nice guy” not a Romeo.
Ravi was on his way to the bookstore before he knew where his shoes were carrying him. No more wading in!
Marie had had a busy Saturday morning already and the store wasn’t even open yet.
The first hour before the store opened was always relaxing. Marie could listen to music as she worked. New books needed to unpacked and put on shelves, displays needed to be created for the new arrivals.
Marie’s hands were busy being productive, but her mind was elsewhere.
Marie missed Ravi’s usual morning visit, he was a highlight of her morning on weekdays, and today she felt a bit wistful, and she knew why.
She had been so certain, hopeful even that he was going to kiss her after the movie. Her heart had been pounding when they stopped at her home. It had seemed to her that his hands were trembling, but she hadn’t asked him why, and then the moment had passed.
She felt disappointed walking into the house that night. She knew they liked each other, but was it just as friends?
Dancing to the mellow sounds of Frank Sinatra, and swishing gracefully to unlock the store, Marie was optimistic about Ravi, she had no choice or did she?
What if they could be more than friends?
Young-at-Heart
Fairy tales can come true
It can happen to you if you’re young at heart
For it’s hard, you will find
To be narrow of mind if you’re young at heart
You can go to extremes with impossible schemes
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams
And life gets more exciting with each passing day
And love is either in your heart or on it’s way
Marie decided that she needed to know if PB liked her! (She called Ravi PB which was short for Peanut Butter)
Mariehad to know soon before she lost too much sleep or had a heart attack!
I wonder if everyone has songs buried in their subconscious.
A little bump, a phrase in a conversation and a song springs forth to me – all the way through the cobwebs. ♥
Not only does a song spring forth but the tune stays with me for days!
This week it was this song from the 1970’s called “Signs”by Five Man Electrical Band.
Of course that song brought back a memory.
When I was young, my family tented and at one campground my family met a young man who traveled in his VW camper.
That old VW camper of his was hand painted on the outside to his whimsical sense of style. It had bright yellow bumpers, hand-made bumper stickers with sayings like ” Insured by Mafia Mutual” and a really cool sounding “AH-WOOGA” horn. (sorry no photo).
Today’s post is the 4th instalment of Ravi’s story.
The first post was Spread Your Wings . After I wrote that post, the next two instalments (part 1 and part 2) were what happened the day Ravi left home.
Ravi left his parents home to go to a new city, a new life, a new job. What will Ravi discover about new starts? Maybe more than he expects. – David
Ravi had a routine Monday to Friday, he loved it, and it even burned off several calories.
Gravelberg was a small city, so small that Ravi’s preference was to walk to work. The walk was only 30 minutes one way even if he dilly-dallied.
Ravi waved to his neighbours on the way to work, whether they were walking their dog, or en route via car to their normal day. Several days it rained while Ravi was walking to work but he never lost his happy start, it was just a little damp.
The neighbours smiled and waved back of course – the perks of a small town.
Ravi’s first morning stop enroute was for coffee at “Hug-A-Mug” every day. Hot coffee, and double cream in a real mug!
Vita, who owned the shop, said coffee tasted best in a mug, and he was a regular so he had two mugs that she had made herself; PLUS she personalized his coffee mugs with his name. Vita was a genius at marketing.
Every day he returned his mug from the day before, and received a new mug for that day. Vita included a weather forecast with each coffee, and sometimes a silly joke. Amazing !
When Ravi was almost at work, he visited the town bakery. He had no choice really because the freshly baked bread smelled amazing every morning. Resistance is futile he always thought to himself on entering the bakery.
Normally he bought two cinnamon buns, one for his breakfast, and another for CB.
Halfway through his work morning, he would visit Marie at the bookstore which was just two doors down from his office – “Hey CB, coffee time!” he would announce as he entered (the second cinnamon bun was for Marie).
Ravi loved to call her CB (short for Cinnamon Bun).
Marie would greet him with a hug, and a laugh mere seconds before she polished off her cinnamon bun. After licking the sugar off her fingers, she gave him hazelnut coffee and sometimes peanut butter cookies. Ravi’s favorite kryptonite.
Ravi had discovered a solid foundation for a lasting friendship :
Ravi had been impressed by Marie last week. She had taken a broken tea cup and given it new life. He would have thrown it away, but not Marie, she gave it a new start.
Instead of trash, it became something special, and he knew he had changed his outlook since arriving in Gravelberg.
Time won’t stop and it won’t go backwards either.
Ravi was looking forward, he was living each day and he was looking ahead, albeit with peanut butter on his breath.
12:22 Saturday midday
