Nerve Endings Firing Away

It is often considered impossible to surpass perfection but there are few things that come real close. While the world (read America) crams itself into malls and big box retailers for deep discounts, I decided to head out into the country instead. It came pretty close to perfection but I bet you would agree too. It is perfection redefined when:

The weather gods smile down on you and part the clouds just for a day after pouring down gallons of rain.

The world is swayed by a gentle nippy breeze only to be tempered with warm sunshine.

The natural world ambles by lazily seen from a bicycle along a narrow winding undulating path and the panting induced by upwardly inclined slopes forgotten by the joyous ride down the hill.

The trees in their varied forms of fall coloring part slowly welcoming you in their midst, letting you enjoy the deafening silence of the woods.

A trio of dogs jumps gleefully in the murky backwaters of a genteel lake lured only by a simple stick thrown far by their much loving master.

The gentle rustling of the trees as the wind whistles its way through bracken and its naked sylvan friends as we sit on a sunny pier, feet dangling in the chilly water singing hopelessly out of tune songs unabashedly.

The sight through the trees of two fishermen on a lake, waiting for a fish to bite but not caring about it much either. Their SUV parked at a distance on the edge of their lake like the only remaining link to civilization.

A stony chapel nestled among the woods with a lonely wooden cross and a holy book at its feet to remind us of our Protector but the stain glass windows beyond which a serene world exists doing a far better job.

A wooden swing at the edge of a lake, the sight of an expansive lake from a pier, wooden bridges spanning narrow gurgling trickles of water, sunshine streaming through trees to reach the elusive earth, and golfers teeing off on bright greens is perfection. But the company of a special person to enjoy all the pleasures of the natural world doesn’t just redefine perfection but takes it further.

America celebrated Thanksgiving for a reason; I just celebrated it differently for a different and a better reason. I surely had reason to be thankful.