Dancing in the Dark

“ So the darkness shall be the light and the stillness the dancing.” – T. S. Eliot

Summer has returned for a few days, giving us a chance to go on one more picnic in the park, drink another iced chocolate and feel the warmth of the sun once again. These idyllic moments encourage me to dance despite the dark, to push back the tide of fear and negativity swirling all around – first by switching off the strident voices emanating from the TV and leaving the ink smudged newspapers for others to read. I think back often on the happiness that coloured our days when we spent time in Mexico cut off from familiar media streams – we relied more on the natural rhythms present in our day to day, life distilled down to exquisite moments comprised of simple pleasures.

There’s a luxurious layer to these fall days upon us, a sense that winter is nipping at the heels of autumn – my eyes keep checking for freshly fallen snow on the mountains that ring the city and so far, I’m greeted by the same dark green forest of summer. In no time at all, it seems, summer vanishes and a warm rain chases me into our local library where I come upon an unusual scene –  a small girl, a fairy child, is building a fort among the adult chairs scattered near the children’s area, meticulously placing soft-cover children’s books one on top of the other. There is a treasure trove of books to touch and sort giving life to these words flowing onto my pages. As the rain gently fell, I watched her father and baby brother for a few moments, both trying to help put the many books back in order on the racks much to the chagrin of the library staff member coming upon the fairytale castle of books. It is magical moments like these that chase darkness away…

We celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving this autumn long weekend and my heart is full – I’ve spent time with my second cousin and her husband drinking fragrant English Breakfast tea at our favourite gathering place while eating a delicious brunch. The threat of rain hovering among a sky full of dark clouds only added to the adventure of hopping on the skytrain out to their Burnaby neighbourhood. This past Sunday found me catching up and sharing a creamy hot chocolate with my friend Yvonne. What a fairytale afternoon it turned out to be – the sun came out summer-warm and a soft breeze gently shook colourful leaves down from the trees, birds chased each other among the berry laden ones leaving me feeling, that yes, it is still possible to find oneself dancing in the dark!

A touch of fall captured in Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.).

We sat on Terry’s favourite hill near Brockton Oval in Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.) on Thanksgiving Day enjoying some more fall colour!

We came across two woodpecker trees on another favourite trail in Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.). I could not believe how lush the ferns still looked!

This beautiful Barred owl decided to hang out at the Rhododendron Garden here in Stanley Park (Vancouver, B.C.) just minutes from our apartment building, reminding me of Harry Potter!

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” – Martin Luther King Jr.