“Dust if you must”

I read this beautiful poem a few days ago, and it’s really stayed with me.

Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there’s not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world’s out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it’s not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.
Rose Milligan

So this weekend, I swam at Busselton Jetty, looking at underwater sculptures with marine life starting to grow on them, surrounded by a cathedral of coral and seaweed-festooned jetty pillars. I swam in cool water close to the Southern Ocean, watching the seaweed sway in the southern swell, and caught up with friends I’ve made over 20 years ago over a good coffee.

Sure today life has gone back to chores, and the mundane reality of everyday life. However my memories of the weekend will include driving my beautiful red car along winding country roads, surrounded by tall trees, as misty rain ( the first for months) swept across the sky and rinsed the car to clean and sparkling.