Sweet Summer Days

It was hard to appreciate everything given to me, as a child, until years had passed and the so-called adult world was entered.

It is the same world that was once so great and full of promise.

As time went on, that world became mine to take-on filled with abundance of unexpected situations, hard work, and a few tough lessons along the way.

Does life, as a child, actually prepare one for life, as an adult?

I never realized what I had back then, until it hit me upside the head on an ordinary day on the job.

There I was filling out the daily audit paperwork and a trigger went off.

Suddenly, it was, as if the ink from my pen became a blur on the report and there I was –
Fifteen, again – looking out into the meadow of hayfields and green grass from under the brim of my black, velvet riding helmet.

It was late August and the sun was settling, but I could still feel the day’s heat on my back and shoulders.

My Chestnut colored gelding – Grego – was eager to end the lesson.

I could sense his anticipation for a cool bath and a fresh flake of hay.

We watched what looked like silhouettes of horses and their riders hurdling over the last jumps of the day, against the vanishing sun.

In that small slice of fulfillment, there were no thoughts of tedious work or things required to make ends meet.

No little boy to care for and chase around aimlessly.

The hours of homework, cleaning, cooking and laundry seemed so far away to catch up with me.

That vision represented one of the many sweet drops of goodness that this life has to offer.

Just like any other perfect moment, the sun faded away into the distance and was replaced by the creeping thoughts of my blank report staring at me.

I am without an answer, as to how my life evolved into a daily tornado of endless tasks and responsibilities.

It sometimes feels, as though I am that storm.

My only objective is to confront and defeat any and all obstacles in my path.

As the daily momentum builds, I begin to collect errands, sometimes without even realizing it.

My life might actually be a perfect storm, if I could only find a way to hold onto that energy so it always works to my advantage.

Being human does not allow me to do that.

By the time I get home at night, the energy that moved me through the day has fizzled and the list of things to do continues to grow.

I will forever long for the way that I spent the younger days.

The small taste of goodness I had, as a child, will stick with me till life’s end.

These moments have led me to believe that even as life changes and becomes more challenging, great memories are still out there to be enjoyed.