daily bliss: community

The windows are open and a cool breeze blows in. I hear neighbors singing happy birthday and then clapping. I imagine a towering cake, a smattering of candles, wavering flames, and a rush of smoke. I wonder what flavor the cake is, if it's homemade, whose birthday it is, and whether or not they're happy...

I walk past the rustic ball diamond at the elementary school around the corner from my house. A group of boys practice softball on the diamond. On the side of the field, on the shaggy lawn, a handful of girls practice softball. Parents watch, encourage, clap for both groups. Hands twist in the air, and balls land with a thud in the center of gloved palms...

My friend B and I take her two boys for a walk/bike ride. M shows me all the toys in the garage, and covers his face with his hands when I have to go home. Little B smiles a bright eyed, full toothed grin before ducking his head on B's chest...

Young G sits on my lap at BW3 and we talk about fashion shows and the proper technique for applying lipstick (it's important to use a color and a gloss, I say, for maximum effect). She smooths my wayward bangs across my forehead in a glamorous swoop, and tells me we should fill our hair with tiny pink and blue braids *or* buns for the aforementioned extravaganza...

A roomful of sixty+ people gather on a late July evening to hear poetry and music, clapping, laughing, and sitting transfixed as poets--professional and amateur--musicians--polished and raw--take the stage...

I help J sell vegetables at the farmers' market, and love the diverse conversations with customers who clearly love and appreciate good food. Recipes are shared, smiles widen, and bags fill with the season's harvest...

I, slightly nervous, bake and take a warm blueberry crisp to G's family gathering, offering something from *my* family, from my kitchen as a sign of goodwill. They, in return, offer kind words, laughter, and praise (for said crisp), as well as a delicious meal. Later, as orange campfire flames lick the sky and throw up showers of sparks, I feel nothing but warmth.