Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in  the breeze…

William Wordsworth

It didn’t take me long at the gardens today to come across that proverbial "host" of daffodils.   They were clustered at the entrance and then all along the trail, in small bunches and larger groups, white and yellow, yellow and orange, golden, pure white and pure yellow.  As someone so aptly said, daffodils are the "ambassadors of Spring."  What a welcome sight to see on a Saturday afternoon in late February — the surest sign that Spring has arrived.  Right on schedule here, too, despite the cold weather.

I don’t think I could have found a more perfect day for my long walk in the gardens where I saw ducks, great egrets and even the early alligators.  A cool wind would rustle those daffodils as I tried to take pictures, so I was not able to get as sharp an image on many as I would have liked, but I am not complaining.   My camera eagerly embraced those golden flowers as I paused continuously along the trail to photograph them.  

I think I can best describe my mood as a briefly relaxed and carefree, aware of being, enjoying an interlude of reverie, alone with my thoughts but enjoying the company of the flowers and birds and not feeling a bit lonely.   Yes, these walks are always, except for a few very rare occasions, solitary sojourns, but I was happy and not a bit concerned that there was no one to share this with.   I have reached the stage  now where I am more content than ever with myself, with the way I am, and with the lone journey I have undertaken through this life, since I was a youth, actually.   I used to get quite depressed about it as I could not enjoy my "aloneness" without feeling "alone."   Now on these walks I sense the presence of God through His creation more powerfully than I have in many years, 30 to be exact, when i lived in Columbia and went through a period of intense spiritual growth and development.  

Now, particularly with the coming of Spring and the daffodils, the green clover and the freshness and subtle hints of warmth in the air, I feel uplifted, grateful, and, yes, marvel of marvels, happy for durations that are more than mere fleeting periods of contentment.

Spring does this to me, but this year, as I live day to day working full time and being a caregiver,  I especially treasure my hour or two in the gardens along the Ashley River.

Daffodils at Magnolia Gardens:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/camas/sets/72157626091698508/