Obliging happiness

If you pay close attention, you'll realize that life is beautiful... all of the time.

The slanted shadows poured blue light across the evening sunlit sidewalk. I sauntered down the street towards my house with my hands in my 'ugly bunny-hug' pockets. I heard a voice, followed it with my eyes, and saw through a welded black gate to my left the old man who owns the sculpted tree. He was propped against the fence dividing his and his neighbor's yard, speaking with the woman on the other side. A glass of ice-water dangled from his relaxed fingers. Between my slanted hair I smiled with teeth at my feet. The neighbors sharing discourse over the fence made me glad. My unaltered pace carried me under the trees with helicopter seeds. They clattered together in the hot evening breeze.

In the moment I reflected on the day and my grin remained.