Day 02/30: Perfection
It may not come around all that often, but when it does, it's worth taking a moment to savor.
While I was in France earlier this year I spotted these strawberries at a farmer's market in Devonne. More accurately, I smelled them (from several tables away). I'm afraid I don't have the words to describe what its like to bite into a perfect strawberry, but I'll do my best.
They were completely red, from tip to top, without a single soft spot or deviation from their smooth, shiny skin. The color was so bright that it was nearly translucent, as if they were made from gelatin. The flesh was firm and juicy, filled with so much water that they dripped as you bit into them, bursting with that sweet floral scent that had lured me to the table in the first place.
This happened to me once with a peach too. It was my first Fredericksburg peach, and I remember it tasting exactly as I had always imagined a perfect peach might. With juices dribbling down my chin and fingers coated with sticky nectar, I closed my eyes. Click. The memory was saved for later, potentially ruining every future peach, but unquestionably worth the price.
Of course, perfect moments in time aren't exclusive to eating. They can creep up on you when you least expect it, with your window open at a random stoplight, or on a lazy Sunday morning when you suddenly find a peaceful quiet descending beyond the four walls of your living room and into your soul. I've found them while looking out from the top of mountains, and floating face-first in coral reefs, hugging little kids, and holding hands during a long car ride.
Wherever they are found, perfect moments will always have my gratitude. They are the bright stars in the constellation of our personal stories, those rare pockets of bliss that carry us through the dull or treachorous places in between.
P.S. This post is part of my 30 Days With a Grateful Heart series. You can check out the rest of my posts in this series on Mary Makes Pretty, Mary Makes Babies, and here on Mary Makes Dinner. Visit Bless Her Heart to check out other bloggers that are participating in the project.