To Keep a Fresh Outlook

To get to our house you turn left onto a short dead end road. I do it every day. As soon as you make the left turn you’ll see our small house on the second lot on the right. The first lot on the right is woodland and creekland. Edging the road is a roughcut utility line where only fast growing vegetation can vegetate. Hidden beer bottles and Wendy’s cups get periodically pulverized by the county mowers. Occasionally, when the weather is just right, wildflowers rise above the mat. Some don’t need to rise to be seen; their brilliance shines.

Usually when I take the left turn, I’m thinking of home, of food, of taking my shoes off. Too often I’ll cut that corner tightly and then swerve oh-so-gently around an oncoming neighbor, quickly giving them a half-smile-sorry-nod. If I’m making that left turn on foot or bike, I’m usually sweatstained and muscleweary, with tunnel vision focused on the approaching front door. I’m not saying I never scan the ditches or gaze the treeline, but around the middle of each season the views tend to grow similar, less engaging.

On Saturday, Heather was driving and I was the passenger. We finished a long day of errands in a couple towns and were headed home. I didn’t have plans. I didn’t have hunger. I had air conditioning on and my seat reclined one notch beyond the usual. As we made that left hand turn, Heather took it at a reasonable pace (good job Heather!) which placed me closer to the right side of the road than I had been in awhile. Something caught my eye. I had to think about it for a few seconds before alerting Heather with an “Um, back up!” I guess I didn’t explain my reasoning. She shot me a “what now?” look though I could see the curiosity in her rolling eyes. She pulled into the driveway and then pulled back out, delivering me to my discovery. “Ohh” she said softly. I jumped out of the car into the melting afternoon heat and stumbled through the prickly underbrush. I just stood in awe over the exotic stranger. Unlike in the photo I took today, its petals were draped like a cloak. It was only warming up that first day. Presently it radiates.

I’ve been driving much slower now when I make that left turn. I’ve stopped at the corner every time since Saturday. Though the Dog Days are upon us, we need not grow stagnant. I owe much thanks to this Carolina Lily, for reminding me to keep a fresh outlook. Oh, yes, and a big thanks to Heather for driving.