Dreary day turned out perfectly

It could have been just another dreary day but somehow it turned out to be wonderful. The past few days had been filled with calls from family members who were having a difficult time. One had lost a job; one was stranded on the freeway and had to call someone to take a child the rest of the way to school. One had to have a family pet put to sleep. One was in pain with little hope of relief. Poking around on the internet revealed that a distant family member had recently lost his wife. I was out of sorts for no good reason other than feeling helpless to do anything to alleviate the family problems.
I woke up to rain dripping from the grey sky, The weather forecaster was calling for strong storms and possibly killer tornadoes. With all the gloom and doom, imagine my surprise when my grumpy mood washed away and cheerfulness replaced it.
I talked to my favorite nursery owner and found a perfect plant for a space in my garden. It was once occupied by a holly that hated my yard. The holly went home with one of my brothers on Easter. I hope it is happier in Ohio than it ever was in Indiana. The holly’s two friends have long since gone to the compost bin after languishing under the window for most of their shrubby lives. Best of all, the new plant is affordable. I plan to invest the rest of my birthday money on the newcomer.
As a bonus, that means I can now move the monkshood from the other side of the yard. With luck, the monkshood, or Aconitum, won’t wither and die right before it is due to bloom. That’s what it usually does. I’m confident that this poisonous plant will like its new home underneath its soon-to-be friend even though the blue flower has a reputation for not liking to be transplanted.
After finding the perfect plant, I stopped by a woodcarving exhibition in a nearby town. There are some very talented people out there. I want to carve a turtle for my little brother for his birthday later this month and have been searching for a pattern or at least something similar to what I have in mind.
After visiting awhile at the table of one of our amazing local carvers, I found what I was looking for at the very next exhibit. It was exactly what I was wanting. I can see in my mind’s eye how to modify it into something that would be a perfect present. The turtle is an inside joke and I sure hope he gets it.
My next stop was at the grocery store. Most of the poky people who usually block the aisles had already left or hadn’t arrived yet. The guy who bagged my groceries did a great job and didn’t insist on putting anything in those evil plastic bags. And the cashier gave me a coupon for 50 cents a gallon off of gasoline. I had been avoiding going to the gas station because of the unreasonably high prices so this was a real treat. It does make me wonder how much profit they are making on gas if they can afford to lower the price by that amount.
It rained all the way home as I sang along with radio. I don’t know how long this good mood will last or even what caused it. As poet Robert Frost said, “Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length."  So I don’t expect it to last forever.
I wish I knew what caused the universe to grant me this perfect day. If I did, I could recreate it and then share it with all those who are being challenged by the ordinary irritations that create scowl lines and irritation.
I hope that as you are reading this that you are having your own version of a perfect day. If not, there’s always hope for tomorrow.

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