Barring none, this is the most perfect spot in the world.

To me.

Yes, I know what it is not.

It is not the Grand Canyon, a crimson sunset, foaming ocean waves, a chic sidewalk café, or any one of a thousand bucket list destinations, the kind we squirrel pennies away to visit.

Those are other people’s hungers.

This is mine.

Simple abundance.

Beauty in the raw.

Silence worth celebrating.

Most people will see a porch, a swing, and a book.

I see a porch, a swing, and a book that are waiting for me.

A porch, a swing and a book that will grace me with countless blissful moments.

I see the color of the sky in that swing, after a rain has washed the earth and the sun has reappeared to remove the drench.

That large pillow on the right?  That’s a cottony cloud laced with old-fashioned respect for all those millions of people who’ve glanced toward the heavens, in other places, in other times .

The chipped paint on the swing?  Those are gratis of a child who banged a toy John Deere tractor a few too many times as he clambered up to be with Mom.  Each nick, each ping, a moment this mom would repeat in a heartbeat.

That space on the left side of the swing?  That’s where I’ll sit when the temperature warms up, when the work is done, when the to-do list is exhausted.

The table in front?  That’s where I’ll retrieve the book, a pick-me- up.  And I’ll replace it with my feet, a set-me-down.   A medicinal exchange.

It’s where I’ll say my prayers, wax nostalgic with neighbors, laugh with Just My Joe, and wipe away a tear at thoughts of how fast my son has grown.

I’ll marvel at hummingbirds, spot a blue jay, and ponder whether squirrels are cute subjects or disgusting rodents with a comical twist.

I’ll phone friends and check in with my Mom, and they’ll understand why it sounds like I’m outdoors.

I’ll reflect on life, lose my troubles, reinvigorate my creativity.

I’ll slow down, live in the moment (imagine that), and just “be.”

Yes, it’s more than just a representative picture.

It’s the perfect spot to me.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”—John 14:27