The Most Pleasant Of Days

I'm trying to slow things down. This hideous job that I have is robbing me of time, robbing me of health, robbing me of perspective.

Too much, too fast, too hard.

However. Got today off. Got tomorrow off.

There's two people we dig. Enormously. Paula & Bill. Paula is Carol's aunt but she ain't no stereotype of an aunt. She is cool. Cool to the max.

Bill is one unique dude. He is a guy with his own perspective on life which tends to be rather negative, rather worrisome. BUT he has a sense of humor. A quirky, unique, one of a kind sense of humor.

This is what sets him apart. Just when you are at the point where you want to say "Jesus Christ, Bill do we have to talk about stents? Are you that worried about heart disease? Do you need to worry about heart disease when you show no signs of heart insurrection?" Just when you are at that point, words on the tip of your tongue, he says something that makes you laugh. Something that skews your perspective in a bizarre way that allows you to see his perspective.

And you have to love the man.

They made the long drive up today to spend some time with us on a picture perfect, absolutely gorgeous, late September day.

To negotiate a corn maze. Not maize. Maze.

Carol has had a wish to visit this joint going back a ways. It is a beautiful, family owned farm that in the fall creates a maze through corn stalks to entertain. You get a questionnaire to fill out with answers supplied by postings within the maze as you wander.

In the past, not necessarily my cup of tea. But I have opened my mind to understand that my happiness is not the only happiness that matters. And truthfully as we staggered and stumbled through the massive corn stalks on a gorgeous, blue sky, puffy clouds, 70 degree day, I was perfectly content to be doing that rather than falling asleep on my recliner watching college football.

We did it, the four of us, we talked, we laughed, we walked. We enjoyed each other's company as we always do.

Prior to the trek we gorged on fine home made ice cream courtesy of this fine establishment. Their ice cream is real and it excites your taste buds. I digested graham cracker flavored ice cream with graham cracker crumbs and chocolate chunks.

When is the last time you had graham cracker crumb flavored ice cream? NEVER.

It was delicious.

After stalking the stalks we made our way back to the Testa homestead and enjoyed munchies, drinks and beer on the screened in porch with the cats. Perfectly comfortable in the temperature and the company.

It was a day. It was a moment in life. A very simple day that brought peace and laughter and conversation and blue sky and sunshine and 70 degrees and donkeys and miniature horses and a corn maze. A day that brought all these things together and created a life cocktail and opened our eyes to how simply beautiful life can be.

I won't allow myself to think about Monday (?) because I will be thrown back in with brainless, lazy, backstabbing idiots and I will be wrenched outside of myself once again.

I will savor today for the rest of today and I will sample tomorrow for the precious moments it has to offer me.

I am at peace.

I love Carol, I love Paula & Bill.

This is a very fine place to be.