Reverb10 - Day 3 - Moment

I am taking part in #Reverb10 an annual online initiative to reflect on the year past and manifest what's next. Everyday in December there is a prompt on where to direct your writing attention....I am 3 days behind gak! Take a gander at Reverb10 and participate!

Day 3- Moment
Prompt: Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)

I think you would agree that there are many moments throughout the year that one feels alive.  The moment that is most prevalent for me in 2010 is the first time I went to visit my Mom at her new home in St.Malo.

My mother purchased a quaint cottage like home 1 hour from the city in the happy town of St.Malo.  At the end of the school year my son was going to stay out there for a few weeks and I made the executive decision to do an overnight stay with them before heading home solo.  The car was loaded with his necessary take along items and we were ready to hit the open road. 

The drive to St.Malo is one of my most favorite parts.  AJ is occupied in the back seat with a portable video game, we crank up the tunes to a level where the only options are to think or sing (we do both).  It is a perfect day, the sky is dense with a cool blue color, the clouds are sparse and appear as tufts of crisp white smoke along the horizon.  The temperature is moderate, the sun beats in through all the car windows as if to warm our souls in preparation for the visit. 

There is little traffic as we turn onto the highway, and we are free to take in the glorious prairie view which is full of life at this time of year.  The landscape is full of vivid color.  Lush green native grasses, a brilliant yellow radiates from the tiny budded flowers of the canola fields and just when it seems to get repetitive you'll spot a vast mosaic of wild flowers with fragrant pastel petals, a serene picture amongst a living canvas.   Every so often AJ will lift his head when I point out a herd of cattle, he waves and exclaims "Hello cows!", I join in.  Talking to cows through the car window going 100 km/hour never gets old.  There is road kill along the way but, we ignore it because we are in a happy place now.  An occasional retched scent of a slaughterhouse or pig barn of some sort wafts through the car until one of us exclaims "Who tooted?" followed by the harmonious reciprocation of "You did!"

An hour later, maybe less dependent on how much I was speeding quickly traffic was moving we arrive at our destination.  Both of us quickly throw open our doors, step out and breathe, just breathe.  The air is it's own entity here, so clean it fills our lungs with life, calms our hearts and engages our spirits.  It's warm with a slow flowing breeze.  The kind that moves not only around you but, through you.  How can it be so different here than in the city? We don't know and don't care.  We respect it and enjoy it, we are free to be, just be.

The beach is just down the gravel road, we grab our gear and head out.  My son is lit up from the inside out, fluttering with excitement and I feel like I'm 8 all over again.  "Let's go Mom, let's go!" Our footsteps become faster as we draw near, the grit of the gravel under foot becomes louder, each pace filled with more anticipation than the last.  I sit and chat with Mom on the beach allowing the sun to penetrate my skin and warm me from the inside out.  My muscles begin to relax, the stresses of life start to float up from my shoulders as if I could wave them good-bye as they go.  Suddenly AJ's full attention is on nature, playing with the motion of the water, tiny snails and schooling minnows have replaced his video game in an instant. Perfection.

As the day slowly turns into night and the sunset fills the great room of my mothers house with the most magnificent light we prepare to decompress further by an open fire. Roasted marshmallows are on the menu and as I pull the fluffy white squares from the bag I am flooded with memories from my own childhood, a simpler time where small things were appreciated and the daily grind was nonexistent.  AJ and I compete for the perfect marshmallow, each using the utmost care to not to burn them in the process.  We both enjoy pulling the golden brown crust off to expose the flawless gooey center, victory is ours!

The hours pass and we all sit in our respective chairs that surround the fire, sinking further and further into them as we tilt our heads back slightly to gaze up at the star lit sky.  We talk about things not of consequence, drifting in and out of silence while memorized by the dancing flames of the fire and the glowing orange embers beneath it.  The fire dies down in the wee hours of the morning and we depart to our beds.  A cool breeze flows in from the window, there is no intrusive street light to break through the curtains so I can leave them open and allow the dawn to wake me (then I get up and close them so I can sleep until noon). 

Everything is calm.  Only in the distance can you hear the bug zapper as it annihilates thousands of mosquitoes and the deep moan of the stray cats in heat.  I am lulled into slumber where I dream of what St.Malo will bring tomorrow and how it felt to be truly alive, even if only for an instant.


- The St.Godard Brood Keeper (J'adore St.Malo)