A little story inspired by a big place

When my daughter was  young, we spent hours reading books together. A favorite was A Children’s Book of Verse. We came upon a poem about daffodils that delighted her and resonated with me. After I tucked her in for the night, I quietly took the book to reread the poem. I read it over and over. The dancing blooms touched my heart. “I will think of this when I am feeling blue,” I thought to myself.

After a grueling day, three decades later, I decided to reward myself with a day of rest and discovery. YouTube has become my favorite streaming channel. From Harvard lectures on Shakespeare’s plays to the incredible ancient English queens, I am always discovering fascinating history. Today’s discovery was “Britain’s Treasures From The Air.” While “floating” above the idyllic English countryside I learned about the National Trust, the second largest land owner in Britain. The founder of the National Trust, Octavia Hill, once described the beautiful open public spaces as, “Open air sitting rooms.”,

It was the description and views of Britain’s Lake District, specifically, Ullswater, the second largest of the lakes, that caused me to replay the segment.  The narrator said that the ribbon-like lake is renowned for its tranquility and ever-changing scenic beauty; that it inspired the poem “Daffodils,” by Worsdworth, What a perfect day to “rest” in the beauty of the daffodils. Decades after first reading the poem to my tiny toddler, the words erased the stresses of the day.

After months of uninspired thoughts about my next blog, I want to share this lovely poem with you. Perhaps the image of gently swaying daffodils in a spring breeze will quench a bit of July’s heat.