Day Off Brain Off

Soon, the storm will come. The sky is filling with clouds. The calm today is fleeting as I sit facing the rippling water of Lost Lagoon, as a turtle and merganser share a floating log. It's spring in Vancouver again, cherry blossoms dotting the side streets. The air is finally warm after a very wet winter. I am surrounded by pigeons, sitting on a park bench. I have been struggling all day to get outside and finally, after procrastinating most of my day away, I am breathing fresh air with a slight odour of fertiliser. I know that this smell will be permeating every olfactory system, with every gardener kneeling in chicken waste in hopes to create to most colourful bed of flowers.

Now a mallard couple preens their feathers in front of me as the sun breaks through the clouds, warming my legs. The male slips into the water to chase away two intruder mallards and promptly flies back to his mate. A couple of bald eagles soar miles above the lagoon and a swan floats toward me, dipping his bill into the lagoon. The water is now almost like glass as the wind has died down. A seaplane flies over the tree tops coming into the port to land, bringing commuters from Victoria or the Sunshine Coast. 

This is my park in my eyes. A way to unwind, relax and remove all thoughts from my mind for the time being. My brain is pretty empty, filling holes with songs from my iPod on random. Some songs fit the park serenity, some are the opposite, offensive to the quiet surroundings, similar to the cars lining up on the causeway behind me to cross the bridge to the North Shore. Some songs remind of people in my life, automatically bringing a grin to my face. 

A turtle pops his head above the top of the water, paddling slowly to the lagoon edge. Carp in the lagoon skim the surface to scoop bugs on the water  into their gaping mouths, leaving a slight ripple in the water and a glint of light from their wet scales touched by sunlight. Jogger after jogger pass behind me, panting and glistening with perspiration, oblivious to the beauty beside them. 

The mallard couple have now settled into a nap, their bills tucked under their wings. I feel just as sleepy, appropriate as I woke at dawn to the songs of a finch in a tree near my apartment building. I did finally doze off again only to sleep too long, filling my brain with that heavy dozy feeling. Now I just want to have another nap, similar to my cat.  The paddling turtle pops up his head for air and dips below the surface again. The sunlight breaks through the layer of clouds and immediately heats up the park, shimmering of the lagoon blinding me for a moment.

My stomach rumbles, telling me that I should have brought a snack with me. Unfortunately I was wandering once I left my home, like a feather in the wind, no actual direction or place in mind. Not surprising considering my inability to even decide on what to wear, I was lucky to even step outside. I did manage to change my sheets and duvet cover, a struggle in itself. Now my cat is asleep on the bed working on nap number 12 while I relax outside. 

As the warmth begins to fade, I decide to continue my walk. To the store for dinner? To the bar for a snack and some socialising? To the coffee shop for a latte and a crossword? We'll see. This day may have been devoid of excitement but definitely not in beauty.