Happiness, Here and Now

If you look closely enough you will see, here, the greatest admirers of sand and sea that I have ever met. To them all it takes is a bucket and a spade, and life is as near to perfect as it gets. Add a bit of ice cream to that mix, and you've got the whole shebang.

They've had multiple days of this dazzling paradise, surrounded by nearly constant sunshine and beauty. And tan? Boy, are they ever! You wouldn't expect such a thing in England in May, but we have had it, and are not eager to leave it.

On one of the days, Grandma was taking an afternoon nap when she awoke to two bouncing children standing by her bed. 

"Grandma!" whispered one.

"Wake up!" whispered the other.

"We are going to the MUSEUM! and then to ICE CREAM! Want to come?" I blinked, and then focussed on the two shining faces at my eye level.

Who could turn down such an offer? And so I groggily sat up, swung my legs over the edge of the bed, and followed them down the stairs. Bounce bounce, went their heads. Bump bump, went their feet. Both pairs of eyes shone back at me like little sunbeams straight from heaven itself. It's what real happiness looks like, I think, and it sure is inspiring to see it up close, just inches from my face.

I'm not just sure when or why that kind of happiness begins to dissipate like some kind of vapor, once we are no longer children. The cares of this world, perhaps. The responsibilities we (very rightly) take seriously. But can we not shoulder the responsibilities, and keep the happiness? It bears thinking. 

We all trooped out of the door and onto the cobbles to make our appearance at the St Ives Museum. But as we rounded the corner - it appeared they were closing! A man was just then changing the 'Open' sign into a 'Closed' one, but saw us and quickly repented of it. "Come in, come in!" he called. "We close in 10 minutes but maybe you can see some of the best bits if you hurry."

We got out our money to pay him, but, "Oh no, put your money away! No need, no need.."

Hurry we did, and saw some of the best 'bits', as predicted. The pictures and artifacts went back simply hundreds of years and spanned the history of mining and fishing in St Ives. There were photos of shipwrecks, and little rooms set up to look just exactly like a fisherman's cottage used to look - before nearly every fisherman's cottage was turned into a holiday let. But it is hard to be sad about the fisherman's cottages becoming holiday lets, because we have just stayed in one and cannot deny its wonders.

Just thinking about it makes 7 pairs of eyes shine. 


See you along the way!
the SconeLady