Blue Medicine with Loose Skein of Birds Flying over
Driving off in the open car in the late afternoon was bliss. At White Rock I broke my habitual pattern and stopped on East Beach. Parking in front of the Gelato place, I went in and bought ice cream. Waffle cone, one scoop of green apple, one of lemon.
"Ah," said the proprietor, "You like the sour ones." He watched me take the first lick, and asked, "How is it?" Mouth full, I gave him the thumbs-up and he smiled.
The unique blues of the sky and water in the late afternoon sun were just what I needed. I crossed the road to look down at the sea. The beach there is very shallow but today the tide was in and the water as blue as the Caribbean.
The sky was gorgeous too. These two blues, flanked by pale green trees and dark green shrub palms, were soul medicine. Reluctant to leave the sea behind, I got in the car and drove toward Crescent Beach. From Crescent park, the lush lawn and trees emitted a burst of the lovely green smell that heralds dusk. The treetops were sunlit, one Stellar's jay on a wire alone and blue.
The sun was going down. By dusk, the sky overhead was swathed in a gauzy layer of cloud. Waiting for a light, I leaned back and gazed directly up at a flock of small birds flying over. Seeing them so close up gave me an intimate sense of participation in their flight.
The fresh air and outdoors were what I'd been craving. The birds, the greenery, the burst of fragrance that was a harbinger of evening. All of it was powerful medicine for the soul.