The Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
    That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
    A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
    And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
    Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
    Outdid the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
    In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
    In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
    Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
("The Daffodils" by William Wordsworth)

When I'm having a particularly rough day, I like to remember this poem. It reminds me to "go to my happy place," as it were, and see the beauty of life, even if it only exists in memory at that particular moment. My happy, quiet place comes from one of my camping trips when I was a teenager. I was always the first one up (always) which gave me some quiet time all to myself. I remember this particular place we were camping had a spectacular vista that showcased a neighboring mountain. As the sun rose, the fog and mist would slowly burn away and the sunlight would drape over the mountain. Soon the birds would start singing and I would breathe deep the smells of an early mountain morning.

That time I had of quiet meditation gave me then, and gives me now, the opportunity to thank my Heavenly Father for blessing me with this beautiful world. Life doesn't always go the way I want it to, and it's often filled with trials and heartaches, but when I'm feeling down I can remember those early mountain mornings and find that quiet bliss and feel my heart fill with pleasure and I see once again beauty all around me.