After a morning in our new house filled with unpacking the last remaining boxes, the afternoon was filled with pleas from Annabelle to go swimming in the pool. Realizing the relentless could only be sated by relenting, I agreed to join her.
Not infrequently, Annabelle's desires are not only fun, but wise too.
We splashed, practiced blowing bubbles, jumped into the deep end, and tried to remember to use our arms when we swam. In a sudden moment of inspiration I turned over and floated on my back. The sun burned my face a little bit, and my head fell back, floating in the water. The currents in the pool sent me drifting around and I felt far more relaxed in that moment than I had for many months. And for the first time I really looked at the oak tree that towers the house and noticed how huge it is. And how beautiful it is.
How lucky I am that I get to see that oak tree every morning!
For the rest of the day I wandered around our new house in awe of all the art on the walls, and in awe of the generosity and accommodation of a family willing to invite us to live in their home during this time while they live away. From the six foot yellow rabbit sculpture in the orange grove to the Egyptian obelisk on the desk in the office, to the sun mural on the ceiling of Annabelle's new bedroom, to the displayed collection of glazed clay sculptures made by their young child, it is very clear that this family loves art. And they make it fun! They have surrounded themselves with the vibrancy of beautiful things. Their home is wonderfully eclectic, an amazing thoughtfulness pervades every space here.
A cast iron 15 inch rabbit holding an umbrella decorates the range in the kitchen. The grand piano holds counterpoint to a small glass mask hanging on the wall near it. A very impressive impressionist oil painting hangs modestly in a short hallway, offering up center stage to a giant bronze sculpture of a maple tree that lights up on the wall. Angels masquerade in every room of the sprawling house, their presence inconspicuous.
It's really the most amazing thing, to be here on the Earth right now! So many beautiful things to look at! So many opportunities to create beauty!
Living here is a daily lesson in appreciating what we have. We do not know how long we will have the pleasure of being in this home... somewhere between a few months and a couple years. It affords us many luxuries to be here now and we are very happy with the arrangement. When the day comes to move, I hope we will all be able to take with us the wonder and awe that has influenced us during our time here.
