Amidst pleasures and palaces….

My cousin visited from far away. He takes photos of trees and all the flowers. He marvels at the blue mountains covered in … snow… he’s never seen it before. I told him he was embarrassing me… if you’re going to take pictures of trees let me show you some trees worth photographing. I took him to the forest… trees over 100 meters tall and the width of horses. What wonder in his eyes… he said this must be where the Olympian gods came when Christianity banished them from home. He took thousands of photos. I took him to the market to see the flowers… more photos. We hugged goodbye at the airport. He said I’m never going to forget this place. I could see the tears in his eyes. I told him I’ll be coming home soon. This summer. What my cousin doesn’t know is that I cried that night to but not for his departure. What a marvellous gift to see through another persons eyes the awesome beauty of your own home. Glorious mountains crowned in snow and forests older than civilization growing next to ocean endlessly crashing against rocky shores. All this and and what I most imagine as I fall asleep each night are the white houses and blue doors. The wine dark sea a billion shades of blue that dazzles with the light of the sun that falls upon it like as many stars and litters it like diamonds. Those brown dry islands without water my father despised I imagine them as they turn lavender at sunset each night. So many times I wish I was elsewhere and then I wish myself home. The greatest gift is the moments when I find myself in joy in the only moments and places I want to be.