Discovery is the elixir of life.  At first glance it is like opening your eyes on Christmas morning.  Even before you are fully awake you are filled with the expectations of weeks of anticipation.  You open your eyes and try to focus. At first you only see the blurry expanse of the room, your mind’s eye see’s the bigger picture. You scan the room and you notice all of the brightly colored decorations scattered throughout. The smaller details begin to come into focus… the lovingly wrapped packages tucked around the tree, the table set for family breakfast, your sense of smell picks up on coffee brewing and something delicious baking in the oven.  All of your senses are alive and excited and you cannot wait to unwrap the day.

That is exactly how it felt when I arrived on the southern coast of France in the quaint seaside village of Cassis.  This photo captures the entire day…the liquid movement of everything that makes this place special. The boats bobbing in the harbor, people gathered at the cafes enjoying a croissant and cafe au lait.  Families on their way to the beach, others picking up a few last minute things for a Sunday picnic…a loaf of bread, cheese, fruit and a bottle of Rose, bicycles with wicker picnic baskets.  Cats in the window, children laughing, two elderly women arm in arm heading home from church, the freshness of the sea air and the knowing that this very moment has been the elixir of life for generations.

A new discovery will breathe life into your very being...I hope that every time I look at this picture it will transport me back to the moment I took it and the feelings I felt on that Sunday morning in the south of France.

Cassis, France…Sunday September 4, 2016.