Last weekend, we had a day of heat and sunshine. It was early afternoon and I had finished my lunch – and with no projects or yardwork looming over me, I decided to sit outside and read.
There’s a spot on the back patio that is secluded and gets plenty of sun. I put on a hat to protect my scalp and then took off everything else. With a book and a cushion to sit on, I got comfortably seated on the step and read my book.
It was quiet and I sat there peacefully sweating. After a while, I finished my book and thought about going inside. Instead, I got a broom we had near the door and swept off the patio – then moved the cushion to support my head and laid down on the concrete.
Now that I was stretched out the sun really started to heat me up. I had a lot of surface area exposed, after all.
I didn’t sleep, but I drifted – the hat pulled down over my eyes. I didn’t move or even fidget. Even on the hard concrete, I was completely comfortable and at peace. The only movement was my breathing.
I lay there for a while, feeling as though I was floating in the heat. A vague thought about falling asleep and getting sunburned drifted through my head, but I let it go.
And then, a bit later, I let the spell break and sat up. I brushed off my back – and my backside – then gathered my book and cushion to cool off and get out of the sun.
I got a little pinkish, but not burned. And a little aloe after my shower took care of that.
There are not many days of summer left and I don’t know if I can recapture the magic of that peaceful afternoon.
Just me, my hat, and the sun.