the red carpet rolling out before you; the quiet after the storm; a friend you can count on.

sleeping by the lily pond; your book being selected for Oprah’s Book Club; encountering a friendly dragon on your way.

surprised by a small gift tied with a ribbon; a big bowl of freshly picked blueberries; the barn dance.

a field of wild irises; satisfaction in a job well done; leaving behind a slipper at the ball.

miniature Japanese lanterns strung around the garden; naming the baby; a majestic thunderstorm.

entering the cool cave behind the waterfall; hidden by leaves; the smell of fresh bread.

sleeping under the wing of a hen; old blue jeans; the color of dawn.

the snowy owl on your shoulder; finding a way out; the heat in the middle of the night.

shouldering the pack; the story emerging in the crystal ball; Sappho.

watching salmon leap into sunshine; the evening star; heading home after the great adventure.

a spiderweb covered with dew in the moonlight; mint tea on a hot day; listening for the rhythm.

sitting under a palm tree in St Ives, Cornwall; dozens of hummingbirds around the quince; breathless with anticipation.

a rose-covered cottage by the sea; wakened by the birds at dawn; the wealth of globed peonies.

a vast petrified forest; Athena; riding out the storm.

three pelicans on the beach; slipping on the gold ring; climbing up the tower steps to find the spinning wheel.

plumbing mysteries; the crest of a wave; the gondolier breaking into song.

turning the pages of a book and it starts to come true; a wall of trumpet vines; afterward.

taking off your armor to lie down with your beloved; a fresh pot of tea; floating on air.

lying in the shade of a flowering jacaranda; two herons flying into the sunset; shouts and cheers.

the roots of a sequoia; a streak of good luck; landing.

a wind from the south; the first time you get off the boat on Easter Island; seeing a fairy emerge from a buttercup.

the glass humming-bird feeder; flying in the right direction; air-dried sheets