I lived in California for almost 18 years. It was a good place to be when I got there and a good place to leave when we left.

The views were amazing. The mountains around us really did take on a vivid purple hue late in the day and I saw some of the most astounding sunsets ever. And then there was the ocean. The Pacific Ocean is not a particularly friendly appearing body of water but it is imposing.

Whenever I got depressed or particularly beaten by the world I'd drive out to the coast via Sebastopol and head up highway 1. I'd often drive out to the overlook at Goat Rock State Park and watch the surf beating up against the huge volcanic rocks sticking up out of the ocean. That sight usually brought life right back into perspective and clarified for me the things that were important and allowed me to let go of that which was not of significance.

I'm still finding my way around here in Georgia and can't always find a spot to bring back those feelings I had whenever I was at the coast. But, the other night, after a hot and sultry day, the wind picked up a bit and I went outside to sit on the screened in porch and listen to the sounds and enjoy the breeze. It was heavenly and did remind me of similar evenings spent in my parents' screened in porch in West Virginia. It was so serene and peaceful and then I noticed the fireflies coming up out of the grass. Oh, I know we have fireflies here but my aches and pains have kept me from noticing them until I just sat down, cleared my mind and paid attention. And there they were as magical as they were to me as a kid, blinking on and off to signal other fireflies that they were there. Beautiful to see and while not as imposing as the mighty Pacific Ocean, they brought that same feeling of calm and serenity that I had experienced while sitting on the cliffs overlooking the ocean.

Magic can come in very small packages.

Enjoy the day.

The picture, by the way, is of a sunset I saw here not too long ago.