Unexpected humor in life

Isn't it wonderful how life can surprise and delight with little touches of humor, completely out of the blue?

OK, today, there wasn't much blue around. It's "Bike to Work" week and I braved the drizzle to do just that. There's lots of cyclists out and about, not surprising. What did surprise me, though, was to see, powering down the trail towards me, a cyclist in full gear, helmet and all, on a penny-farthing!

I smiled the rest of the way to work.

Safe homecomings

My son went off for a day trip with Scouts in a boat to a neighboring island. Nothing remarkable. Nothing to worry about.

Yet, while lost in the mundane chore of mowing the lawn, my mind started to wander along a seemingly random path. I was recollecting some of the great music of the 70's when I was growing up, I wondered how I would explain it to my children. The anger of punk. The disillusionment, the fear of nuclear war. I remember feeling so close to oblivion for many years as a young adult. 

Random tangent to how things can change in a split second. Accidents happen. The difference between losing or regaining balance, between a turn of a driver's wheel, between catching that closing door or the click of a latch. The course of history can turn on a dime.

Another random leap...where is my son now? Is he safe? I know it's part of a parent's job description to worry, but my train of thought had drawn me to how fragile our existence is. Nothing to be taken for granted.

Of course, he's back, safe and well. He had a fantastic day out, including catching and cooking fresh crab.

So, today's blessing is something we just take for granted, even though we really have no right to in this vast and uncaring universe: safe homecomings.

A kiss of rain

Although it's a long journey - an hour each way - I like to cycle to work when I get the chance. Various commitments conspire to make it rather less often than I'd like, so when the stars do align and I pack my lunch and work clothes ready for the morning it's something to look forward to.

This morning I was just about set to go, but in the few minutes while I disappeared to the bathroom to brush my teeth it started to rain. Much agonizing later, and I conceded that the rain was rather more than "a few spots", and not something I could shrug off. An hour long journey in the wet is no fun.

I was disappointed, but several plus points emerged. It could have held off for ten minutes and soaked me on the open road. I got to work early and managed to clear some things off my to-do list. And on my way down the highway, I reflected that water is a precious resource. It is likely to be the source of conflict in the coming decades, so this life-giving rain is a cause for joy, not disappointment.

The human face of bureaucracy

My family and I are about to become Canadian citizens, the final stage of which involves a ceremony where we take the oath of citizenship later this week. This is exciting for us, because the whole process has taken nearly two years, lots of paperwork, and a test last month.

Today I got a phone call at work. 

Immigration Canada.

My immediate reaction was a sinking feeling...something wrong with our paperwork...ceremony postponed...maybe the reply we'd sent to the invitation had got lost in the mail and missed the deadline...

But no, nothing like that. The official was simply asking if we were planning to stay for the reception after the ceremony, and if our children would like to take part in a cake-cutting ceremony.

What a lovely touch.

Although much bureaucracy here seems to work at a slow pace, it does get the job done, and every once in a while we get surprised by a very human touch to remind us that we are dealing with people who also recognize us as people. This isn't something I usually associate with government officials, but I'm happy to be living somewhere where I can be surprised like this.

Mirror seas and clear skies

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again many times...my family and I are blessed to be surrounded by so much natural beauty.

We all went to my daughter's school concert this evening, and drove back along the seaside route. The water is usually calm here, very sheltered, but tonight it was flat as glass. The sky was clear, and the distant mountains peeping above the headland looked like sharp etchings biting into the blue above.

Leisure time

It's another beautiful day and, like most weekends, there seems to be lots to do that precludes the luxury of simple indolence. It's so easy to think "Gaah! Too much to do! I just want to sit down and relax!"

Yet I just realized that, for all the things filling the weekend, it is pretty relaxing. None of the chores are crowding on top of one another in a sanity-threatening way. The kids are pottering around down on the patio fixing up planters and hanging baskets to tart up the outside. I am pottering around getting food ready for a barbecue. The sun promises a blissful afternoon on the deck in the shade of the parasol, with a beer or three.

And I suddenly realized how darned lucky I am to have this time of relative tranquility. Some people spend their "free" hours holding down second and third jobs to make ends meet. Some struggle simply for basic survival.

So there's food to prepare, dishes to clean, laundry to throw in the washer. Maybe I'm not spending three hours at a stretch writing or sketching. So bloody what? I have nothing to grumble about.

The kiss of sunshine

We've had many beautiful days so far, when it's been nice to get out in the sun, but this is the first time this year when the air has warmed up. When it has felt like summer without having to seek shelter from that chill wind, when being in the shade isn't accompanied by that little bite in the air.

It's been a while coming, but is all the more welcome for it. Without winter, there can be no summer.