the arbor

the sweet aroma of nature’s bounty overpowers the sense of smell in flavors of hundreds…and the eyes in myriad colors of endless beauty

the sound of bird song fills the air with sweet melodies as they flit from oak to maple and back

nature’s rebirth surrounds me its smells enfold me and awe my senses

stepping off the old wooden porch now worn and weathered, so in need of repair, it is like stepping into the past

so many memories carried within from times well remembered

the bright sunlit early morning wonders greet me as I step on the dew covered grass…my feet quickly become wet and covered in recent lawn clippings of dark green grass

I walk slowly…taking in the beauty of the day, directing myself toward my favorite thinking place, the old grape arbor, a large area filled with row upon row of trellises

the trellis work once white and beautiful is quite brown and weathered and overgrown with uncared for vines

I remember so well picking what seemed to me then in my youth millions of grapes

my grandparents washed them, separated them and then the fun part began…squeezing them

they made wine…case upon case to be sold in their little roadside store to the many tourists that came by

but not today…today is not for memories, it is for thinking

I laced my way towards the center of the arbor, as I reached it a smile came involuntarily to me

the old bench…my thinking bench…was still there
brushing aside old leaves I made a spot to sit

a funny thought popped into my mind I wonder if my parents or grandparents knew of all the important decisions I had made while sitting here on ‘my bench’

I knew if they could read my thoughts they would not approve
for today I was to make the most important decision ever
a decision on life

I let my mind wander through the labyrinth of thought in search of an answer

feeling as if I was being watched and listened to by someone…perhaps everyone…no secrets exist here in the ‘Arbor’

my eyes suddenly focused on the old vines and I began to think of all they had seen and heard in their lifetime and I knew my answer

these vines had lived a long and productive life and never complained
doing their very best thru all the years

I could identify with those vines… almost a duality of life

my mind felt the burden lifted from my shoulders

I felt much better as I walked back up to the house my decision made…soon I would be back in the ‘Arbor’