Dusk falls gently in our backyard corner of the world. From high above, our small lot might look like just another rectangular piece of a giant puzzle but down here on the ground, we sit at our small square outdoor teak table, surrounded by the random on and off flash of fireflies and the soft evening chatter of birds. As the daylight ekes out of the sky, I bring out our three-tiered candelabra and light the 18 votive candles. By the time the candles are lit, darkness has overtaken the yard. We stare, mesmerized, at the glow of the candles as a soft breeze tries to blow them out. It’s a fitting end to the evening.
Earlier, twenty-five of us gathered here around our woodfired oven and back deck for a woodfired pizza bash, a midsummer celebration of friendship and tasty food. It was a low-key affair full of warm vibes and conversation. Later, as we blew out the candles, collected the dirty dishes and slowly took down the remains of the evening, I could still feel the positive energy surrounding me like an afterglow. “There was magic in the air that summer night,” a friend later posted with some photos.
The next morning, I slept in a little longer, spent a little more time over my morning coffee, started my day slowly. But as I went out into my world, I found myself making more lively connections to others. It was almost as if I could feel an aura surrounding me, bringing me closer to others, making me see more clearly our human connections. That magic was working its thing on me.
Throughout my week, I carried that feeling. Like a sparkly thread running through my days, it glittered more or less strongly depending on my view. But it stayed with me, encouraging me to appreciate those moments of community that bring us together sometimes in the smallest of ways.
Our woodfired oven has often created these kinds of occasions. But, on Saturday morning, at my cheese booth, it happens as well in the queue of people waiting in line. There is a natural human chatter that brings out the best in us, where folks buy things for others, or share a story, or give a hug, or show in some small way that they care. There’s laughter and tears, understanding and compassion, a sharing that comes naturally from our human lives, an unselfconscious urge to be what we were meant to be.
Now, here I am a week later, still seeing it, feeling it, as it continues to glimmer. May your summer bring you some human connection.