Plautus wrote, “Consider the little mouse, how sagacious an animal it is which never entrusts his life to one hole only.”
As one who sees the world in black-and-white, Addie’s husband Harold clouds life’s joy. Things are good or bad, the Allies are losing the war if they lose one battle, and if the cows get out, someone’s to blame.
But Addie, steadfast in her determination to please Harold, can’t help but seeing the beauty in a downfall of walnuts that makes a huge mess for her to clean up in the driveway. One day, she spots her neighbor Jane’s innovative way of drying the walnuts on screens set on sawhorses.
Though Harold taunts her, she employs Jane’s tactics, thus saving herself bending over to retrieve the nuts, and as the green peelings turn to mush, a great deal of stain on her fingers.
Thinking outside the box–it’s the spark of life that makes each day fresh. It’s the ingenuity that keeps the gobblers down by the creek seeking new food sources as autumn cold arrives.
What might we learn this day? What might nature, or our friend down the road, teach us?
Recently I’ve had several responses to Addie’s story that hearten me to the core. One woman has certain pages earmarked, and Addie’s lessons are helping this reader through a difficult time in a relationship. Another thanks me for not making things easy for Addie–no pat answers, no platitudes.
It’s harvest time … walnuts and the fruits of writing. Ahhhh….a pleasant season! And if you haven’t become acquainted with Addie and Harold yet, please do–information at this address:
The sequel to Addie’s story, With Each New Dawn, releases in February, and broadens her world greatly!
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