Recreating the serene

Pond at Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. senk 2012.

Joey has recreated a water garden in the living room. Plump pillows serve as stepping stones, which meander in a circular path about the house. Grandma's no-sew blankets are now moveable boats, gliding about the non-rippling, wood-laminate pond. Little plastic fish - blue and red, yellow and green - having been tossed to-and-fro by my fisher-boys, inhabit the pond's depths. And the air is full of giggling and singing, instead of the smooth whisper of water.

"Look! Water lilies," says Joey. And, I imagine the water gardens and fountains at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, VA or the little lake teeming with water lilies at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, VA. The inspiring flora and landscapes in these gardens creates the kind of serene atmosphere of which we all need more exposure.

Are there places that impress upon your heart, too, friend? Perhaps an art museum or unique boutique or coffee shop that exudes life's essence for you? Or rather a moment deep in the woods or atop a hill's crest or by a cascading rill? There is also that serene moment between people: a shared experience, a returned smile, words from the heart shared and received. Have you had that today, friend?

If not, take a moment to recreate the serene. Let pillows plop where they will and hoist off into blanket boats - all for the sake of life.