day 17 - several lives worth living.

I was flipping through radio stations on my ride home from work last night, and I found myself listening to a man's voice on a public radio station. He describes the lives he imagines he could be happy living. He said he imagined himself being a repair man who fixed the parking meters. He described the joy he would feel walking outside on a sunny day, checking the machines and providing a small and simple need. He also said he imagined being a bread delivery man in the city. He imagined loading the freshly baked bread into the truck in the early hours of the morning, smelling that warm toasty fragrance as he drove through the almost empty streets. The he imagined delivering the loaves to restaurants across the city, and chatting with chefs as they began their prep work the day and started to simmer their stews. He imagined sitting in the almost empty kitchen and drinking a cup of coffee as he and the chefs called each other by their first names and made small talk.

These wonderful imaginings brought to my mind the line from a Mary Oliver poem: "I know several lives worth living." I like the idea of being freed to imagine the particular beauties of your unlived lives, from the most glamorous to the most ordinary.

Here are several lives worth living:

A nanny, wiping away tears, playing games, feeding, clothing and loving the most precious little ones.

A dog walker in the city, leading playful furry friends through the chaos of the streets and the freedom of parks.

A folk singer/songwriter, putting all the beauty into words.

A museum security guard, standing almost imperceptibly among such brilliant creativity.

A baker, combining simple ingredients to create mouthfuls of joy.

A worker in an orchard or at a winery, plucking the fruit from its branch at the brief moment of perfect ripeness.

A teacher in Jr High or High School helping students discover their favorite novel or poem for the first time.