Taking The Hint

I know that I do carry on a fair bit about how nice and quiet the lifestyle is around here. Take today for example. I slept in as usual, made coffee, watched some home and garden type shows on television then headed into our nearby town to finish up some shopping. It was getting dark when I managed to get myself focused but that’s perfectly alright when one is retired. I really only needed a couple of things that I had written about in my morning journal. By free style writing for a  few pages I’m seeking to spill the beans so to speak and then by doing so see what needs to be done to free the clutter of distractions from my life to concentrate more on my writing. See what I did there… I just spilled the beans again.

Anyway, I needed to get some stuff but mostly just wanted to experience the low-key shopping atmosphere the small town has to offer. I went into the old shops and soaked up the wonderful feeling. The jeweler and watchmaker shop was doing a good business and glittered with shiny displays. The bakery smell got you as you walked by the shop and you just had to go in to chat for a moment, pick out a few treats and watch the clerk operate the ancient cast iron cash register. At the florist, the creaky wooden floor just adds a special welcome as you poke around enjoying the artistic displays. Down the street and around the corner at the simple tea room, potato soup and big thick ham sandwiches with date squares on the side go well with hot cider. Packages, already wrapped at the shops are easily stowed in the car as the shop keepers often assist with carrying them to your car. Nice eh?

On the drive home, considering the blessings around me I couldn’t help but think of the despair so many others are feeling. Maybe Charles Dickens was humming something in my ear. It could happen.

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