#26 COURTYARD - A Flight of Fantasy

26

COURTYARD

 

 

 

On lazy sun-washed afternoons

imagination turns to thoughts of

courtyard pubs, where friends gather to discuss

whatever most consumes their waking hours.

Tucked away behind the Seine in Paris, or

in a secluded nook of Gloucester’s boat harbor,

topics range from art and plotlines, to the

tantalizing satchel in the local consignment shop.

Gossip reigns.

Food arrives, sporadically.

People pick at plates of

battered squid and cherry peppers.

Wash down Gorgonzola cheese-stuffed mushrooms

with dark beer and fresh-brewed coffee.

Or some exotic drink,

served in mugs sporting

a hodge-podge of designs.

Each holding a life story at the bottom,

shimmering for patrons to review

at leisure between sips.

Reality appears on no menu

in these flights of fantasy,

these parcels of precious moments,

free of conflict.

Close your eyes, relax.

Breathe deep.

 

***** *****

 

Life’s too short to live in the world of reality 24/7/365. Every so often, take an unscheduled flight of fantasy away from the planned schedules that dominate your life. A flight of fantasy is not an attempt to escape career or family. Taking a “thought” break is merely a way to refresh your mind, and your attitude.

 

As you envision an impressionistic painting, soar to le Louvre. Think of cherry blossoms and immediately be transported to Japan for the Cherry Blossom Festival. On a too-yellow-bright summer’s day, let your imagination take you to Wisconsin’s Door County peninsula for the fabulous changing colors of autumn. (Just don’t let your imagination land you in Green Bay on a winter’s day!)

 

Stressed, but still too much work? Take a flight of fantasy to an eastern, uncrowded beach in Waikiki. Rent a lounge chair, sit back, and observe. Surfers wait to catch their next wave, free hula shows spring up; yachts cruise out for sunset.

 

Close your eyes, relax.

 

Breathe deep.