- Vol. 09
- Chapter 03
Gratitude
Smile, they made her smile.
The line of yellow ducks grinned back at her,
Another day,
Ordinary for some,
But special for her,
Like the froth on her morning cappuccino,
Bought on her way to work,
That always sweetened her day.
The walk to work through deserted city streets,
A moment of peace and calm,
A chance to appreciate the beauty of the city, waking up.
The market traders all like her cheerfully setting up their stalls,
Friendly banter at 7am,
Joviality which invigorated her to face her day.
The scent of hot buttered toast and bacon rolls enticingly wafting around,
The weather cold, bright and fresh,
Welcoming the dawn of a spring morning after a frosty night.
Selling pre-loved and cherished books was her ideal job,
Discovering the stories of customers,
Was better than reading any best-seller,
Listening to their exclamations of delight,
When they found a well-thumbed copy of that treasured novel,
The one with special memories attached that they had been searching for.
Gratitude
Packing up at the end of the day,
Just as the sun was setting in a glorious burst of pink and gold,
Strolling home with a shopping bag crammed full,
With the things that other stallholders kindly passed on to her,
Cakes with foreign sounding names and vegetables she’d never cooked before,
An evening full of culinary delights awaiting her,
Accompanied by the aromatic remains of a curry shared with friends the previous evening.
Then a hot bath, a chance to luxuriate,
Inhale the aroma from an exotic bath oil,
With a Mediterranean tang and a gift from a grateful customer,
A chance to read,
Dream of sun-kissed shores,
Become a mermaid,
Watch dolphins as they frolicked and have adventures,
Without having to physically travel anywhere,
The end of another perfect day,
Quite simply – Bliss.