I'm a little Corny

I tend to get a little nostalgic about corn.

When you drive daily on roads that are lined with fields of this crop, you can't help but take notice of the subtle changes that result in formerly barren acres of space. What was recently just dirt is now a towering pseudo-forest of the deepest greens.

I get a tangible JOY when I drive these country roads. On my drive tonight, I inhaled so deeply, I could actually TASTE the corn. The sweetness permeates the air.  It's a constant reminder of how very precious and impermanent all of Life truly is. I remember being a child, thinking that the corn was ALWAYS EVERYWHERE when, in fact, it's only here for a very short time. Mid-summer through harvest and then? It's gone. It's empty and barren again, with only the indiscriminate wind whipping piles of snow against fence lines, random barns, and the lumpy remains of last year's combine.

Our air-conditioner needs a frion charge, so I turned it off this week. We're too busy for an a/c guy to monopolize an entire day right now, so we're just dealing with the humidity by sleeping in the living room in front of 3 fans while watching reruns of H2O. Last night, as my daughter tossed about on the couch, rearranging the pillows, I noticed her profile and absolutely froze in awe. The lighting was dim and flickering from the television, and her hair, highlighted by many days in the chlorine and sunshine, fell about her face in beautiful, amber waves. She is stunning, my daughter. And somehow, despite the fact that she is only 8, I saw in her face last night a glimpse of what she will look like as a woman. I saw into the future and knew that she will only become even more beautiful as the seasons pass. It absolutely took my breath away.

It's all so fleeting. These moments driving through the summer fields, breathing the sweetness of this thick and heady air. These days of her 8th year have shifted and we are nearly upon her ninth.

The corn is at its fullest and greenest right now. Soon, the leaves will yellow and the harvest will be upon us once again.

But today? Today, it's still green.