Lisa Hopkins 0:23

Hey there . Have you ever stopped to marvel at how truly wondrous our planet is ? Just the other day , I found myself mesmerized by Rainbow Chard . It had been a long and full week in the city and we were on our way back to the lake house . We were hungry and almost stopped in the village which we had discovered on an anniversary dinner more than five years ago now . The flags of our favorite French bistros waved ouvert as we passed by , tempting us to slow down and raise a glass with the locals who we could see through the windows sipping wine from nearby vineyards .

Lisa Hopkins 1:05

There are three bistros in the village , each with a distinctive charm , and we have frequented all of them enough to come to know the owners , each with their own unique flavor . On Mondays , all but one of the three stayed open until 6 pm and we we had made a weekly habit of finishing our Mondays with Amelie , who always greeted us with a smile and was happy to make us our usual falafel on salad with the local light beer , which was a framboise . Most of the time we were the only ones there and we enjoyed our regular haunt and the familiarity we could count on . The other two were on opposite sides of the street from one another , both overlooking the beautiful river that ran through the village all the way from our cottage lake . The smaller , fancier one was run by a young couple . She was the face of the establishment and always greeted us with warmth and calm . She exuded pride every time she read us the daily menu . It had been created by her husband , who was the chef who prepared bespoke meals inspired by the freshest ingredients in the region , and the presentation was always extraordinary , a true artistic experience . When we would go there , I would recognize and relate to that feeling , to her creative entrepreneurship , not to mention collaborating with her husband as I did with mine . He was the music to my dance for most of our lives .

Lisa Hopkins 2:39

As tempted as we were , that day , we drove straight past instead , eager to arrive at our little apple , the name name of our lake house which , since the pandemic , had come to replace the Big Apple where we had devoted so much of our time . Endless blocks of skyscrapers had been replaced by rows and rows of vineyards and apple orchards . The mighty Hudson River substituted now by our little Lac Selby . Although I felt sleepy and wasn't exactly in the mood to cook , let alone wash vegetables , I remembered that we had picked up some rainbow chard at the farmer's market and thought that we should probably eat it . I took it from the paper bag and diligently began rinsing each leaf from any traces of dirt , my mind wandering , you know , I always talk about the rich possibilities that lay in even the most mundane of activities .

Lisa Hopkins 3:37

And that evening , happy to be home but eager to get the work of eating done , one of those magical moments overcame me . I turned away from the sink and began to lay out the pieces of chard , one by one , before I chopped it , and right before my eyes a magical rainbow forest appeared . I was overcome with the joy and beauty of these simple leaves as they lay side by side on my cutting board . The orange , red and gold veins of their leaves stretched like branches of trees , their wet , luscious green crowns glistening . How filled with awe the world we live in .

Lisa Hopkins 4:28

I thought how easy it is to take it for granted . Dinner would have been fine whether we stopped in the village that night or ate at home . But that moment , man , have you ever stopped to marvel at how truly wondrous our planet is ? The lesson I learned from my rainbow chart that night was to remember that there are infinite amount of opportunities to experience the wonder of it all . I'm Lisa Hopkins . Thanks so much for listening . Stay safe and healthy , everyone , and remember to stay open to wonder and live in the moment .