I’m back at my sister’s for a short break before my circle tour back to Pennsylvania which will allow me to visit all my fun granddaughters.

The evening was spent sitting out on her shaded back patio, sharing the tasty Portuguese wine, Vinho Verde. Jeanne discovered Vinho Verde while living in Portugal and we have quaffed many a bottle together. It is a “green wine”, released within 3-6 months after the grapes are harvested. It has a low alcohol content, slightly effervescent, and perfect for sipping on a sultry summer evening.

While I lie stretched out on her chaise lounger and she sat at the bistro table, we were suddenly delighted by the appearance of flickering lightening bugs. This took us back to our Indiana childhood and summer evenings filled with hide and seek, games of tag, and catching fireflies. We would put them in a jar (of course, punching holes for air in the metal cap), believing they could be a bedside light to read by that evening.

Ours was a simple childhood where in the summertime we eagerly looked forward to visits to the root beer stand and a muggy night or two at the drive-in theater. After one trip for root beer floats, we laughed when our mother pulled our chubby baby brother from his primitive car seat. He’d become an inadvertent thief when out from between his roly poly thighs popped his baby beer mug which should have been returned to the tray! A trip to the drive-in meant big bags of popcorn made at home and shared in the way back of the boxy station wagon. We would take our pillow and a blanket and all stretch out and fall asleep long before we were home.

Reminiscing and smiling about our childhood memories of simple pleasures reminded me to be mindful of the present. I want to slow down and savor some simple pleasures of the moment. Sharing a glass of wine with Mr. Smith and watching the sunset from our new love nest in the sky, an early morning walk along the Susquehanna, or indulging in a summertime treat are experiences we should revel in. I’m betting a root beer float tastes as good now as it did in 1960.

C’est la vie.