The weather is warm and dew drops lay still on the plants that are rooted in front of us. It smells like spring in February & the garden, where green juices are sold by the gallon, is tranquil & quiet. "This is owned by the same people who built the yoga studio down the block." the girl at the counter mentions. There's a Buddha sitting & smiling, while the fountain water trickles gently to the beat of the music playing over the speakers in the background. The sun shines majestically in the sky. It has made it's mark on us by now, browning our skin & adding a hint of red to our cheeks. We sip on our kale & apple blend dreaming up the future. Thoughts of extending our stay out west swirl tirelessly in my mind, causing minor panic in Papa. "Let's be bicoastal!" I say half kidding, but totally serious. "Yes let's!" Papa says, half kidding and totally serious. His smile fades and eyes wander. "But how…" he asks aloud. And then I panic. Buddha still smiling at us from a distance.
Our day's in this southern California beach town have been spent outdoors & barefoot. Surfing has become a humbled pastime. Bebe Bird was granted his first wetsuit which he swiftly declined because "the thing is,the neck's too tight." (oh!) settling for a rash guard in its place. We arrived without a car relying on the training of our New York City feet to fill in as our main source of transportation. Instead of long journeys up & down the California coast as I had previously imagined we have nestled into this beach town staying local and finding ourselves happy and comfortable. There have been bus adventures to neighboring towns & some misadventures where Papa vowed never to ride the bus again-"what's that smell…"he would ask every few minutes until we arrived at our destination.
There have been joy filled family reunions where Bebe Bird and his favorite amongst all his favorites, Nina Bird unite for the first time on the west side. This, has been the longest stretch of time the two have been apart since Nina's been born. There have been happy hearts overflowing with love, where no one exists except the two of them-sweet cousins speaking a language all their own & playing in a world that belongs only to them. Together they camped, together they visited Disney & together they stepped their tiny feet into the cool Pacific. Their hearts full & eyes smiling. My heart broke, a little knowing how much time would pass before they saw each other again.
This winter brought with it birthday celebrations and time with Nana. There have been moments set aside for creating. And moments witnessing an active 4 year old lose himself inside his own imagination as only one can in childhood. Our journey has offered such peace & grace where gratitude has taken root & fills me to a point where the only thing I can do is shut my eyes and give thanks.
And still the longing for home, for family & our friends like family tug gently on our hearts. It's that subtle reminder that "all is well in my world"-to have love and life in two places who could ask for more?
Joy & Courage!
No comments:
Post a Comment