Fortuna, the Roman goddess of good fortune has made her presence felt here of late. Albeit subtlety, she has none the less left a significant impression in her wake. Evidence of her being has manifested itself in a scattering of pleasantries serving as incidental reminders that life has does have its peaks as well as valleys.
The celestial lady brushed past the garden bed and our Winter morning was greeted by a burst of butter yellow – the daffodils had bloomed. As if by magic, there were twice as many again after a summer of concealed underground division and multiplication. The kitchen table will be receiving extra jugfuls this season.
On a weekend predicted by weather forecasters to be bitter and wet, Fortuna hovered overhead, and so it was a long trained for and highly anticipated distance run was enjoyed under a sunny, dry sky. She dusted away any trace of overnight cloud cover, so as participant runners, we could witness our city gradually materialise at daybreak as we took our early steps.
In her wisdom, Fortuna knew of the tawny owl rustling amongst our fenceline trees, and also of our delight upon discovering it as it flew from its leafy cover to a telephone pole in full view. I wonder was it her doing that a foreign noise alarmed us enough to venture outside, only to happen on this exquisite bird?
And finally, planets aligned this week affording both parents the opportunity to be present at the youngest child’s school ceremony – absolute kismet when work schedules and school timetables intersect. Thanks Mam.
Postscript: and then I glanced around at the family, the cosy warm home and the meal we were about to eat and I realised that Fortuna had not just paid us a recent visit, but has been with us always.
Acknowledgement must also be given to Lolly, a friend’s lucky black feline who posed in a suitably mysterious fashion to illustrate this post. How fortunate was that?
Plain and Simple 