Pockets of Happiness

In this week of broken things, earrings and flat screen TVs and more ephemeral stuff that one expects to come and go in one's life, let me record some pockets of happiness:

--I wrote two poems this morning.  Last night, while waiting for my Hindu writer friend at the Panera, I thought, I once spent lots of money on books, and now I spend lots of money on wine.  My next thought:  that's a line for a poem.  And so, this morning, I wrote that poem.  Then, as I was recording a dream in my dream journal, I wondered how it would work as a poem.  I'm still not sure, but here's the snippet I recorded in my dream journal:  I had a cat in my lap, and the cat was very friendly. But then, it took the lump of cheese that I had been chewing right out of my mouth with its claws/paws—but it didn’t hurt. It was surprising and funny—I felt both betrayed and loved.

 --On Sunday, we listened to Simon and Garfunkle's The Concert in Central Park.  It's a CD that takes me back to many places, but primarily high school, where I first heard it when my Dad got it when it was first released.  Since Sunday, I've had those songs running through my head, most particularly "Old Friends" and "A Heart in New York."  On Sunday, I was blown away by the lyrics of "American Tune":

"I don’t know a soul who’s not been battered
I don’t have a friend who feels at ease
I don’t know a dream that’s not been shattered
Or driven to its knees"

I find it oddly comforting that these lyrics, first penned in 1973, are still so applicable today.  It makes me think we may survive these unsettled times.

--It's been a week of reconnecting with old friends.  While I am somewhat sad that we no longer see each other as often as we did when we all worked in the same place, I am happy that we can catch up.

-Last night, I had a smidge of time before meeting my Hindu writer friend at Panera.  I popped into the Home Depot--I've been on the hunt for petunias, as they gave me great joy when I bought two pots of petunias last March.  Last night, I was successful. 

--When I brought them to the cashier, he said, "These are just beautiful!  The two kinds of pink with the purple!"

--The petunias came in hanging baskets, and I walked to my car with a basket of petunias in each hand.  I felt like an unnamed goddess of spring walking through the parking lot of the Home Depot.

--This morning, I realized that I now have 3 seasons on my porch:  the last 2 October pumpkins are still hanging on, my rosemary Christmas trees are half dried and half green, and now, some petunias for spring:

When I first set up this camera shot, I thought I wouldn't keep the assemblage.  But maybe I will.  It pleases me on many levels.