The Enchanted Fishbowl…

The Enchanted Fishbowl is my home, my safe haven; a place where I live, work and play. More than a dozen years ago my oldest daughter, Michele was convalescing, from intense radiation and chemotherapy, at my home. We were on the second floor veranda, the one that overlooks that vast expanse of water, the Albemarle Sound; the same one that reflects such magnificent sunrises and sunsets. This veranda weathers all the nor’easters that surge through these parts. Early mornings and late afternoons she would sit there watching sunrise, sunset; listening to nature, looking outward… looking inward.

She was covered with a light weight lap-blanket this day even though the sun beat down with penetratingly thermal energies. I knelt just maybe a foot away, pulling weeds and dandelions from the flowerboxes that were overflowing with fresh basil, petunias, mint, lavender and thyme. The air was filled with their delightfully diverse fragrances. The riot of colors was intense.

Neighbors walked by; bicyclists wearing helmet’s made their way along the graveled road. Some passing folks remarked about the ambiance of this place, how inviting. These sounds were warm and familiar. The neighbors called it The Tree House and this is why. My house sits on the corner of Soundward Lane and Driftwood Road; the total acreage elevated more than six feet higher than that surrounding me. It is not unlike a villa in Spain with the beautiful gardens and the large windows overlooking the broad expanse of water.

Nestled under a forest of grand old Oaks and soaring, stately Carolina Pines, the building rambles back and forth, this way and that. It is wrapped with decks, verandas and porticoes. The exterior is a mellow cream color with cocoa brown trim, blending in quite naturally with the stunning backdrop nature provides. The mellow yellow symbolizes hope, joy and happiness while brown represents steadfastness, simplicity, friendliness, dependability, and health. It is easy to see why the general atmosphere had such a positive effect on family and passers-by.

I said to Michele, “I sometimes feel as though I am in a fishbowl looking out while others look in.”

She laughed at that statement and then became pensive. “You know? This may be the most enchanted place I have ever been.” At that precise moment, my home on the Albemarle Sound took on a name of its own, The Enchanted Fishbowl.

A year later at the age of thirty-eight, Michele passed away and joined all the other angels in Heaven. She left behind a multitude of friends and family who still mourn for her. But, none like her parents, her sister Andrea or her brother Parrish. That void, that hollow, empty space in my heart will go with me to my grave.

I keep thinking about retirement and wondering whether there will be some indication that will signal the appropriate time. In about thirty days I will be seventy years old yet I feel ageless. Seems like only yesterday I was forty! My life has, without a doubt, gone through some quite dramatic changes in that time span. God is good and I have, with His help endured it all.

I will see what tomorrow brings…