Her fingers trembled as her eyes tired. Youth had long left these bones, but her mind refused to accept it. In front of the cozy fire, she pulled her quilt closer. She looked up from her crossword puzzle to the mantle place.

Photos of exotic places around the world hung on the wall. She smiled to herself as she reflected on memories though the years. She didn’t get the life she wanted, but she had a good life. She smiled a half-hearted smile.

A photo of a mother monkey with her child looked back at her. She remembered putting out sliced apples for them when she visited South Africa. The encounter with these wild and free creatures was amazing. They balanced with ease on the walled garden behind the condo where they had stayed. Cautiously, they would pick up the apples and enjoy them.

Her eyes floated to other photos on the wall. In Norway, she captured the rainbow from the Bifrost, the legendary bridge to Asgard. Okay, not really, but when the light hit a waterfall up in the fjord, a brilliant rainbow appeared. It was a magical moment during a peaceful time on a turbulent journey.

Several beaches and tropical destinations brought back wonderful memories of sand, sun, and good times. She looked forward to the next time her toes would get to once again touch powdery soft sand and her eyes would look out over the turquoise waters of home.

Another sand picture, the dunes in Colorado, makes her think about what she may have missed. She loved stepping off the plane every visit, but sadness still filled her heart, wondering what might have been.

Finally, her eyes settle on a wooden carved figure from a garden in Belfast. She breathed in a sigh; this photo haunted her at times. The figure’s vacant eyes often mimicked her own, especially when she was lost in thought.

She breaks from the moment and looks away. Enough thinking and reminiscing for now. Sleep beckons her to join him once more. Real life will be back soon enough and the days will be busy. New journeys also await her, or so she hopes. She rests her head on a pillow and drifts off to dream.

Flipping through patterns and styles.

Walking through aisles of fabrics.

Turquoise and blue, trying to find that shade,

Royal blue a nice complement.

Gathering the batting and threads

The binding and templates to boot.

I’ve never made one before,

So I hope this turns out.

Now to settle on a pattern,

Cutting everything apart,

Just to sew it back together again.

Maybe one day, when it is worn soft,

We’ll find our way to snuggle beneath it.

Furry little ears twitching back and forth,

Cool little nose bopping my arm,

Prancing in a circle then cuddling in close,

Finally settling in and the purr box starts.

I think she missed me being home,

Or maybe she’s just a little scared of the storm.

Either way, she’s soothing under my arm.

Precious little girl, how did I get so lucky?

Brake lights and squealing tires,

I-4 comes to a standstill.

Looking in the mirror, hoping they stop

Whew, that was close!

Sirens and sirens from every direction.

A swarm weaves through the cars.

Descending upon then scene up ahead.

Creeping and jockeying for position

But crawling and gawking too.

A truck flipped over, chassis up,

Garbage bags and plastic bins

Strewn every which way.

But everyone looked okay.

The rest of the drive was easy

As traffic was slow to filter through.

Let’s hope tomorrow is uneventful

As I get to do it all over again!

How do I convey what they need to hear?

How can I coach and train to frustrated minds?

Personal trauma surrounds them, but

No one person’s life is simple and smooth.

I hide my own issues, except when they need to see

I am only human too and we are all growing.

Tomorrow is another day to start fresh;

Help the team grow and progress.

I can’t give up, they’re a good crew.

Hopefully after sleep, I’ll figure out what to do.