a friendly wave and a tiny balloon

I had just the best start to the day.

As I drove the last stretch into work, I stopped at the zebra crossing just opposite the Buntingford Post Office so that a tiny little girl clad head to toe in pink and her Nan could cross the road.

Both of them seem a bit reticent, but whilst Granny looks steadfastly down at where her slippers are landing, the little girl turns her tiny blonde bobbed head on a whim and looks straight at me.  Her eyes tell me she is a little less than sure about this zebra crossing malarkey.

So I let slip a little smile and find myself doing a gentle one handed wave.  Like magic her face transforms and she beams one of the most unashamedly delighted and naturally spontaneous smiles I have ever had the pleasure of being given.  And it was meant only for me.  She gifts me a little bit of her joy -the joy that only a four year old has – for safe keeping throughout the rest of the day.

But the treats don’t end there.  There’s a closing parentheses to my day.  As I head home I notice the smooth silhouette of a  hot air balloon hanging above Baldock. It’s so far in the distance that if you weren’t admiring the blue skies you’d easily miss it. Even though it’s tiny it’s so serene:  just there, calmly suspended beneath the pulls of cotton wool cloud.  I wonder if I’m the only person to see that too. Positively spoilt.