Initially appearing in a cloak of darkness on the previous night, the river didn’t reveal itself to us until the next morning, when I hastened out of my private outside door and captured a few photos before joining the rest of the house. I’d been told we were all ‘sleeping in’ that morning, but as is the case with all my friends who are parents, that meant everyone except me was awake by 8 AM as I dragged my groggy ass up from the beautiful depths of a peaceful slumber. (Water of any kind – ocean, lake, sea, river – inspires sleep as much as it reinvigorates appetite. It makes all aspects of living a little keener.)
There, in the light of morning, the river wound its beauty and wonder through the edge of Anu and Cormac’s backyard. The water was one thing – the light was quite another. It would change, evolve, shift, and transform myriad times during the day – meriting multiple walks around the property and many moments of contemplation. We managed to catch it on an ideal day too – sunny and warm, with just the slightest breeze that occasionally caused a few oak leaves to drift dreamily down to us on earth.
Oaks festooned in rusty brown and gold still held onto their fall wardrobe, but had deposited a bumpy layer of acorns on the ground a while ago. Here and there a tiny oak tree rose from the lawn – out of hundreds of acorns, only one or two would sprout into trees. Who knows how such a forest ever came to be from such odds? And how strange that we don’t routinely marvel in its mature existence?
This idyllic morning was made all the more magical by a serendipitous arrival of a loveliness of ladybugs. Yes, as Ruby researched it, a group of ladybugs is indeed called a ‘loveliness‘ – and while Anu and Cormac and Sona may not have been thrilled to have such a swarm descend on their home, it was only for a day, and one of those once-in-a-lifetime events of nature that makes you feel lucky to have witnessed it. Ladybugs in the home is a sign of luck.
While they worked on coaxing them back out and preventing more from getting in, I did my daily meditation and took an indulgent nap – taking full luxurious advantage of not being the host for the first time in forever.
SEE ALSO:
Part 1: Driving South with Suzie
