I was living in rural Illinois flat land.
I took them both by the hand and led them into an ordinary meadow near the creek behind my house.
The jack-in-the-pulpits I had discovered there the previous day had dropped me to my knee
What joy this amazing bloom brought to my soul.
My heart was on fire.
So I brought the next folks who showed up in my life to share the wonder.
They happened to be men.
When we arrived at the foot of these beauties, I gasped as how much bigger they had gotten in 20 hours.
“Simple pleasures!” one said to the other while laughing.
They barely had a look.
They made fun of my 21 year old heart for feeling this was something special.
I took it in at the time and felt like perhaps I was a simple person.
Now that I am 70 years old and looking back at that incident, I hope those men have outgrown their own fear of being touched by the simple things in life.
I am so happy that I am easily pleased, that the simple things in life delight me.
I find beauty everywhere, especially in the miracle of the natural world.
And in my friend’s smile, and in my own eyes most of the time!
Whether or not I am simple is not a question that draws my interest.
Whether or not I can find joy in simplicity and beauty and love and all that is precious,
I have no doubt.
