From seas and the streams;
I bear light shade for the leaves when laid
In their noon-day dreams.
From my wings are shaken the dews that waken
The sweet birds every one,
When rocked to rest on their mother's breast,
As she dances about the sun.
I wield the flail of the lashing hail,
And whiten the green plains under,
And then again I dissolve it in rain,
And laugh as I pass in thunder.
The Cloud by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Yesterday I made Valentine cards for my granddaughters before I packed a little red bag and headed up to the gym for Pilates. It was seriously cold, like four degrees and there was a blasting wind, but still cars were in the ski resort parking lot, hardy souls. I dashed in to the gym, checked in and went to sign up for my class, noticing that the sign-up sheet was not in its usual place, and that several people I didn't know had signed up for the class. I was later in arriving than usual because of the Valentine creation, but I did make it in the nick of time. I grabbed some mats, pulled off several layers of clothing and other accoutrements, took a deep breath and was ready to give my core a beating workout. After class I re-layered and grabbed my little red bag and went to have a cup of joe with my workout buddies. Conversation inevitably turned to politics and I looked for my graceful get away, but not soon enough. Someone grabbed a newspaper and put it in front of me to read an article about Melania Trump's comments in a lawsuit about loosing out on the opportunity of a lifetime in promoting a line of clothing while she is First Lady, because of reports that she had worked as an escort. Deep breath again, I looked at the small print, but then I realized I didn't have my glasses (oh where could they be?) but that gave me a way out of the conversation. But really, where could they be? I retraced my steps and thoughts. I was able to write the Valentine notes and sign in at the gym, so they weren't at home or in the car. I checked every pocket of every (and that was a lot) layer of clothing and shook out my little red bag. After totally searching the gym I figured they would turn up as I am an optimist. I am wrong frequently and this was one of those times. Flash forward to today, Saturday. Carl and I got up and headed up to the gym to search again, and go to the post office to mail the Valentines. The ski resort was packed with no parking space left as the temps were a balmy 18 degrees and no wind. The glasses had not been turned in, and were no where to be found. I entered the "distressed" zone. Like every human on the planet, I hate to lose things. It just didn't make sense. I said a little prayer, because that is what I do when I feel distressed. At home, it popped into my head to go look in the little red bag again, even though logic told me an empty bag would not produce a pair of glasses. Oh wait, there was a little pocket on the bag and sure enough my glasses were wedged in it. Clearly I am not smart enough to find them on my own, so I am attributing this to providence....go figure! What color are you thinking about? I bet it is a little red bag.
