And the winner is, "Raspberries"

     Asked to think of something that I loved, I thought of raspberries! A bowl of raspberries, with sugar lightly sprinkled on them.   
     They had sugar put on them the night before and sat waiting for me all night.  I might put milk on them this time but I don't do that everytime. Some of the berry juice will bleed into the bowl or milk and will add another texture of flavor. 
     Fresh berries right of the bush are good but cold berries in a bowl, sweetened some and with milk, are even better. 
     My parents and, across the street my grandparents, had a big raspberry patch in their back yard when I was young. We moved away when I was 7 but  I remember crawling between the rows and picking all that I could to fill my container of the day right off the bush.
     One time when I was about 15 I went up one of the canyons south of town to the Frazier farm and picked raspberries as a one day job. I don't recall how much I was paid but I do recall eating a lot that day. 
      This morning, early, I went out the front door to get the paper. It reminded me of so many years getting up real early to go out and run. 
      Upstairs, near the bedrooms, the house was warmer than downstairs. As I walked downstairs it felt better as it began being a little cooler. 
      The air, and a lot more, changed as I opened the front door. It was cooler outside but it was also crisp. The coolness was in the moving air and as it touched my skin I could feel it. It felt crisp.  Breathing the cool air and feeling it touching my skin and nose and chest was the focus of my attention. I loved that experience and those feelings. 
     I have read that mediation or even Zen teaches you to think about the air your breathing. Think of, and feel, the air coming into your body and out of your body.  This is suppose to allow you to not think about anything else. 
     I have to be truthful right here. I have tried this breathing approach a lot. I have tried and tried to see if I can find myself thinking of nothing else while breathing in and out like this. I have not achieved what seems to me to be this suggested state of euphoria. 
     I do love the feel and touch of cool crisp air in the early mornings. 
     I love Raspberries. 

     I have a lot to be thankful for. Raspberries and cool air are on the list.