Where she pulls herself out of the murky waters.

You know how a pebble, if it’s the right shape, can skip five, six, seven, (I think my record is eight) times in calm water? How it can skip across a whole body of water? But if the water is rough then the first ripple catches that pebble and sinks it straight down.Straight down to the murky bottom.Where it sinks heavily into the mud with no hope of ever being nudged along by the current or returned to the shore.Boy, let me tell you that Cosco on a Sunday afternoon is rough water.Before you ask, No, I don’t know what I was thinking, and, Yes, I did have to. You see, I promised my mother I’d take her to Cosco and Sunday was the only day I could.Now I care too much about you, my gentle one. Too much to put you thru the experience because I'm convinced you share my no- limits imagination, so I’ll use this alternative.The cars in the parking lot looked like this:Inside the store things looked like this:This is how it felt to shop there:I got out as fast as I could and drove to the river for a walk.I staggered out of the car like a dark stormy petrel of gloom, hands in pockets, zero energy, beating useless wings in a down-spiraling flight, heavy, drained, heading straight into the murky bottom.But then the river and trees and meadows and the day filled me up with so much life my eyes and my heart started to open and I paid attention. The trees poured sunshine thru the branches. I could feel the air swirling with spring warmth. Sparrows were rustling in the bramble bushes and a heron was doing his crazy stretch-neck dance between the gentle waves at the river’s edge.I tried to see the world around me fully.Above me three eagles turned lazy circles, in the river boats cast sparkly rainbows, a lone clump of daffodils shone gold in the protection of elderberry bushes, a black lab puppy was running after his yellow ball bringing it back to his man again and again, front legs flat on the ground, bum in the air, tail waggling his whole body in anticipation and, some distance away, a girl galloped her horse along a path across the field. She was laughing....I saved this moment. Saved it and enveloped it in warm, golden amber and turned it into a jewel which I'll share with you. I’ll wear it over my heart to help lighten the load on heavy days.