Small Joys On Iona

I’ve gathered a collection of the small joys I find daily. I have really begun to understand what it means to say joy does not depend on your circumstances. I have joy even when it’s raining. I find joy when my feet hurt. I find joy when the state of the world brings me to tears. I really do. The moments of joy do not block out any pain or frustration the moments of joy remind me I can look at the world from a positive perspective in any circumstances.

Here then are a few random joys I’ve had this week on Iona.

I stopped to watch two different snails cross the road. They are very well camouflaged. I worried for them but I let them be. They were doing just fine without me interfering and moving them off the path. And how should I know where they were headed? They already have their homes on their backs.

Look at the tippy top of the abbey tower and there you see it and rain spout with the mouth of a clown wide open. I know there are on old buildings but it’s taken me nine weeks to look up long enough to see the ones here at the abbey. My point being there is always something new to find in your environment. Even if you’ve been there for ages.

The shot of the diver working on the jetty is not the best but it gave me pause. That is a very solitary job. Yes the water is clear and very blue. It’s also extremely cold. He has to go down and up between ferry crossings so he’s not crushed when the boats come in. It is interesting to see such a diverse job being done.

Making bread, on the other hand, is a very ordinary job. Or is it? It takes finesse to do well. Bread is made every day in the abbey kitchen. Anja and Declan are amazing at it. This week we had a meal featuring flatbread. Lilly and Aiden got the honors of making the bread. Truth be told I was happy to be the photographer. It was quite the production. They made very tasty bread. I made the chocolate crumble cake for pudding. Joy all round.

The wall pictured next is a small nook in the abbey. I took this photo to show you there are ferns growing inside, through the abbey walls. It made me think of perseverance of course. It also made me wonder, how long would it take nature to reclaim the abbey? How much power is behind those roots and stems? Seeing the plants punch through the cracks in the abbey walls makes me smile in recognition of nature’s strength and patience. I like to note the beauty I see but this is taking note of the enormous power nature has, and it looks so innocent.

Finally I took a photo of Jock. That Scotty dog was so handsome. Truly a show dog, even if he’s never been in the ring. I wanted to remember him for weeks to come. So many people travel with their dogs here. I see them all the time. They make me smile.