I believe it was J.K. Rowling who first said, “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

I was thinking of her words yesterday, early morning—as I was preparing for one of the much bigger ‘milestones’ in my life. The winds were howling from the east as I mounted my bicycle into its carrier.

“Go back to bed,” she hissed, “this is not your day.”

What a preposterous thing to think—that we are, in some way, not worthy to receive the full graces of each day. We trouble ourselves with those lesser things—a boss at work, bills that never seem to go away. Until the day is missed again, leaving us to wonder;

How on earth did we ever let it slip away?

“I sit beside the fire and think
Of all that I have seen
Of meadow flowers and butterflies
In summers that have been

Of yellow leaves and gossamer
In autumns that there were
With morning mist and silver sun
And wind upon my hair”. – J.R.R. Tolkien

For me, it was a cycling trip to Galesville Point—nearly 100 miles, there and back. And, marked by the most breathtaking of Autumn ‘dress’ – with hills and fog and morning mists, and quaint little farms still at rest. The world was waking up again, a spectacular showering of golds and greens and fire-engine reds.

“In every wood and in every spring, there is a different green.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

And, I – was so very blessed to have witnessed it.

“Yes, just this,” I smiled, thinking back to the true ‘heart’ of this journey.

My darlings, we must be ever-mindful of these ‘exchanges’ which are made.

Remember, a day steeped in worry is one we’ll never get back again.