The Silver Lining

Early morning – well, at least it is after midnight. I get up, pull on a jacket, scuff my feet into slippers. I make a cup of tea. The steam tickles my face as I take the first sip. Gazing out the back door, I am entranced by the serenity of the lake in the moonlight. I turn the key gently until the quiet click lets me know that I can open the door, and I step outside into the peacefulness. I shiver in the chilly night air. I pull my jacket tighter around my body, crisscrossing it over me in a hug. I realize I’m grateful to feel the coolness, I’m grateful to feel the warmth and security of my jacket, I’m grateful to feel. A car slows, I hear a gentle slap as the newspaper hits the pavement. I look at the clock, it’s 3:35. Right on time. I walk out in the darkness, barely able to see the packet lying on the driveway. Picking it up, I go back to the deck. I place the paper on the table; I’ll read it, later. Every porch needs a rocking chair. I settle ...

Today I participated in a writers’ workshop at The Farm at Weathers Creek. I had a terrific time, made lots of new friends, and am “mining the mother lode” in earnest as I dig around in my memory in search of “photographic moments.” Check out their website: http://www.weatherscreek.net/ and join us sometime! On the way to the class this morning, I experienced one of those sublime moments when time seems to stand still. Just for an instant I could grasp that feeling that comes the closest to perfection this life has to offer. Most of my two-hour drive was up I-77. I zipped along the road (thank God for cruise control -- it guards against my chronic lead foot), listening to classic rock radio, humming along to old favorite songs. Interstate driving CAN be boring, with fields, convenience stores, strip malls, housing developments, and car dealerships lining both sides of the road. But there’s one spot near Davidson, NC, where the road spans two fingers of Lake No...