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Halcyon Days

In Greek mythology, Halcyon Days were the seven temperate winter days without storms that occurred when a lovely young wife transformed into a bird to reunite with her beloved husband who died.  Here in New England, we are in the midst of seven Halcyon days of lovely early fall weather.  I am sleeping “deep in the mattress” with cool breezes and deep dark nights to envelope me. 
 
In my reveries, I recounted some Halcyon Days from this summer which is now almost passed:  the party I hosted for my daughter’s engagement stands out, as does a long languid afternoon or two spent with my sister and mother.  We had two trips to The Ocean House for iced tea on the veranda, and last Friday night I had dinner with my best friends from high school.  Also, my first best friend and her mother visited for a day of laughter and memories.  These summer days didn’t pass in rows of seven but they are bright spots on summer’s tapestry.  There were some sad spots too:  another friend from high school who lives far away, lost her beautiful daughter Haley in a boating accident and my beau has been ill and hospitalized. 
No one can deny that the world is on the brink and so I dreamed about it a few weeks ago and had a calming vision.  Not one to put stock in such things, I did take with me the message “All will be well”.  And so in the spirit of that dispatch, I’ve come up with some Halcyon moments I experienced in the past and also some things I just like very much: 
  • My child running toward a gaggle of ducks and watching her glee as they take off in flight
  • The I-just-want-to-cry feeling when I see beautiful textiles, embroideries, or dresses
  • The happy feeling of nourishing someone with a delicious meal when I know they’ve had a rough time
  • Finding out I love honey and honey baths especially, which make me think of bees swarming a nest in the distance on a warm September afternoon
  • A once favorite perfume, rediscovered
  • Seeing a loved one’s face suddenly in an unexpected place, like my sister’s when she showed up at my office one day to take me to lunch
  • The lone female soprano whose voice sails high above the others during a choral performance
What are your Halcyon moments?  Have you got seven? 

3 Comments

  • Kay

    One of mine came this summer, as I visited you and we laughed and sang along with oldies, turning the pages if our favorite teen magazine and reminiscing over our teenage years!

  • Gail, northern California

    I'll start with three….

    …finding what you know is THE perfect gift for someone. Giddy with excitement, you cannot wait to give it to them.

    …finding that out-of-print book you've been searching for.

    …recognizing a magical moment when you're still living it. You know it, you absorb it, you take in every detail. Mine occurred last summer. A pleasantly warm evening in the backyard with family. Son-in-law on a ladder picking luscious ripe apricots for his parents from the over-loaded tree. Daughter showing grandfather her jungle of a vegetable garden. Daughter-in-law sitting next to her new husband's grandmother, chatting away. The dog happily chasing lizards that are far too fast for him. These images are with me still, I can still hear the murmur of their voices…loving, caring voices.

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