Tomorrow I will be in Maui.
Tomorrow I will lie on the beach, belly exposed to the tropical sun, letting the rays warm me to my core and awaken me from a long winter doldrum semi-slumber, like a sunbear coming out of hibernation.
I will eat fresh pineapple, and coconut that actually tastes like coconut and not stale sweet water.
I will float on the top of the water in shallow pools like seaweed, wearing my mask and snorkel watching colorful flat fish peck at corral, hearing the tap, tap, tap noises they make with their fishy beaks.
I will hike to the top of recently retired volcanoes, through lush forests, up waterfalls, under strange birdcalls, to view the ocean from as far west as I’ve ever been.
I will feel the rough bark of trees and grain of rocks. I will smell flowers. I will hear the wind and warm afternoon rains.
I will not miss the cold, gray rain of today. I will not miss the hum of fluorescent lights, buzzy speakers, traffic, printers and computers. I will definitely not miss the sense of helplessness while stuck in traffic, fighting deadlines and work, and responding to correspondences.
But that is tomorrow. Today I am here, now, ready.
Note: *inspired by yesterday’s prompt from StoryPraxis. I didn’t end up posting this to their site because they tend to favor creative writing, but it’s a good writing exercise nonetheless.
Mental Flowers 