I was in a rush

I was in a rush, no time to stop, too much to do, too little time. I’d forgotten the meat for tea, local co-op – none left, jump in car to go to next village with shop

On the way back I saw the most beautiful sky, the glow of the sun across the white fields and a blue sky that looked so deep I felt swallowed up by it...I needed to turn right, straight home and cook. I longed to turn left and see more. Just for once I did. I stopped on Saddington hill and looked across the fields to the east, the trees starting to melt into the white washed dusk. I looked back at the wonderful red wisps of clouds against a blue sky in the west. Wow - time I could ill afford but I took it and breathed in the fresh air, the crisp cold filled my lungs, our gorgeous land. How lucky I felt, I started to think about how thankful I was:

Thank you to the teenage metal head who spoke so politely, it broke my preconceived opinion of youth today.

Thank you to the man who smiled patiently when yet again I got the timing wrong at the chicane and he had to wait.

Thank you to the sea of volunteers whose same faces turn up again and again in youth groups, on stage, at open days and remind me that I live in community not a faceless town.

Thank you to the man in the shop who smiled and made me feel like more like a woman and less of a drudge.

Thank you to the shop assistants who smile at my inane comments despite having heard the same thing at least 20 times already today.

Thank you for the privilege of being born in a free land where I have the opportunity to be who I want to be.

I so often feel a sense of something I don’t understand when I gaze across fields or at the sky and love the land around here so much.