Sunshine

I love the light. I love the daily ritual of opening up the house every morning and then closing it up at night before we go to bed.

This is a picture of the living room and dining room in my old (rented) townhouse. It was filled with the early morning sun coming through the trees. I lived there for six years and I don't think a day went by that I didn't stop, at some point, and thank God for how beautiful the light was there. I took pictures of it before I left so that I could remember it.

I bring this up because everyday as I walk my Beans I am STUNNED by my neighbors' decisions to keep all of their blinds closed all of the time. I'm not kidding. At least 95% of the blinds in my neighborhood are always closed.

I don't know how they stand it.

The thought of living in a house and not letting the light in, not being able to see -- I think it must be like living in a cave or a submarine. It makes me truly sad for them. What a dreary existence. What a tiny little thing to give yourself happiness - open your blinds. And the thing is, I'll bet they're so used to living in darkness that they don't even know what they're missing.

On Monday, when I stayed home in the snow, I was puttering around in the house and again I had to stop and say a little prayer. All of this lovely white light was reflecting off the snow and lit up the whole house. It was just such a blessing - casting such a beautiful glow on everything - priceless and yet it didn't cost a cent.