Live it?

Read or write about it?

I was visiting my parents this past weekend in sunny southern California. As I drove down with my children in the back seat of the car, teasing each other, arguing about my choice of music; the sun was sparkling on the hills.

It highlighted the golden hues of dry grass that look feather soft from a distance, but with my known experience can be sharp as razors against bare skin. Sky that blue color that invites exploration, beckoning one to get out of the house, away from the tedium of the everyday.

Stopping at a roadstand to enjoy the fresh produce. Avocados buttery smooth, strawberries sweet and tart to the tongue, and blood oranges giving off a fragrance that intoxicates. Taking time to chat with the owners; admiring the tanned spare strength to their hands as they arrange the fruit and smile ready smiles of welcome to each new patron.

Piling back in the car, gravel spitting from my tires as we continue the journey to my parent's home, knowing that soon I will be embraced by mom and dad. Sitting by their pool, my parents and I share the news of the past months as we take stems off of spinach leaves, readying them for a future meal.

Earthy, dusty, staining my fingertips a light green color...I'm assaulted by the wonderful feeling of being ousted from a sterile world of observing and commenting on life, to actually...living it.

Isn't life ever so more satisfying if you live it?