National Poetry Month #18: Thank you Judith Viorst for "The Pleasures of Ordinary Life"

Being such an avid fan of poetry I have lots of favorites. I have LOTS of favorites, but this one by Judith Viorst really speaks to me. It reminds me to enjoy the simple pleasures of ordinary life. Those pleasures are often what I photograph like the simple pansy above.  Enjoy a few photos while reading the poem.

a yellow bell found in the wild

the Catholic church on the Kalispel Reservation

The Pleasures of Ordinary Life

I've had my share of necessary losses, Of dreams I know no longer can come true. I'm done now with the whys and the becauses. It's time to make things good, not just make do. It's time to stop complaining and pursue The pleasures of an ordinary life. I used to rail against my compromises. I yearned for the wild music, the swift race. But happiness arrived in new disguises: Sun lighting a child's hair. A friend's embrace. Slow dancing in a safe and quiet place. The pleasures of an ordinary life. I'll have no trumpets, triumphs, trails of glory. It seems the woman I've turned out to be Is not the heroine of some grand story. But I have learned to find the poetry In what my hands can touch, my eyes can see. The pleasures of an ordinary life. Young fantasies of magic and of mystery Are over. But they really can't compete With all we've built together: A long history. Connections that help render us complete. Ties that hold and heal us. And the sweet, Sweet pleasures of an ordinary life. Judith Viorst

red wing blackbird in our feeder

evening on the deck

beautiful butter with a viola dressing it up