Tiergarten, Biergarten, Berlin, Germany

It’s a Sunday afternoon in the beer garden with people laughing and munching wurst, drinking beer and sparkling wine, and teen-girls whispering giggles. I don’t understand the language which gives my mind a break; the pond starts to settle, clouds and trees reflect off the still surface, and the truth of the moment slides into view. Trees and breeze, beer and wine, slow-moving sideways feeling pause in time, and everyone’s letting go and slipping into their afternoon with less and absorbing more and needing less but experiencing more, and touching the bright light of the afternoon sunshine gripping my heart with a shiver of, I have to be, yes; I have to allow myself to show up and touch the sky, the trees, and laughter, and no matter how long it’s enough. Yes, I’ll have a pint.