Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

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Butterfly Wings and a Slice of Melon


Breakfast 

Photos and text by: Corey Amaro.

Melon sliced on the breakfast counter. It set the stage. Ripe and ready. Generous and lush.

Do you ever have those moments where out of the blue something reminds you of something and instantly transports you to another destination in time?

It happened to me yesterday when I cut the melon.

 

  Halve-melon

 I wasn't transported to a memory, but more to a feeling. A feeling of childhood… young, vibrant, full of dreams with feet strong, and carefree to take me. A sense of childhood… standing at the kitchen counter watching my mom slicing a melon for us kids to eat.

Ripe and ready. 

Full of seeds.

Juicy…life.

 

Breakfast-counter 

 

And while the feeling took me away I smiled.

Daydreams in the morning. Lucky little things aren't they?

Moments to ourselves amongst the reality of the day.

Like invisible butterfly wings fluttering about us, taking us in and out of consciousness without grandiose awareness. Inwardly we stop listen with a different ear, see with a different eye, feel with a different heart… and wander with those invisible butterfly wings far from the moment.

 

 

Melon-seedsSeeds-melon-cut-in-half 

Delicious slices of life.

Giving of itself.

A thousand seeds, ready to plant.

And the juice runs down, watering the ground underneath us.

 

 

Ripe-melon

 

 The breakfast melon on the counter was full of sweet surprises.

Comments

19 responses to “Butterfly Wings and a Slice of Melon”

  1. kim

    I love the photos, Corey. And, yes… summertime melons are very reminiscent of childhood. And this post has made me want to go straight out and buy a melon because, come to think of it, I haven’t had one in a long time.

    Reply
  2. Shelley Noble

    Goodness Gracious, Corey, the images are like Dutch Oil Still Lifes. And the simile of transporting memories like gossamer wings inspired and transporting in itself.
    I love that you can express these wonders of your consciousness so freshly with the world through this amazing blog.
    xoxo

    Reply
  3. martina

    Oh yes! Your post reminded me of Favorite Aunty’s iced tea,going barefoot, the smell of blackberry blossoms. Thank you…

    Reply
  4. head in the sun

    That first shot is simply gorgeous.
    (and has me dreaming of summer and juicy rockmelons).

    Reply
  5. Kathie B

    Still too soon here for local melons at the farmers’ markets, but I’m looking forward to them. Slightly overripe ones are delicious in smoothies, too, or in homemade ice cream or frozen yogurt!

    Reply
  6. Kathie B

    And what fond memories I have from childhood of sweet ripe melons — cantaloupe, honeydew, casaba — from California’s Central Valley.

    Reply
  7. Rhonda

    Lucky lady, Corey, my mornings are rushing to get out the door for work. Did you feed the dog? Where is that pkg. you want me to mail? Did I grab my lunch? sigh
    Your morning sounds wonderful, a breath of fresh air!!
    I have the most memory flashes when I step outside in the rain or on a beautiful day…somehow it transports me to when I was a child.

    Reply
  8. Sue in Japan

    Love, love, love this!! And, now I’m dreaming of cheap cantaloupes – cantaloupe slices with every summer meal. Alas, I now live in a land of expensive gourmet gift melons… unless I make a trip to Costco Japan for a cheap Mexican honey dew. It’s not quite the same. I’ll just scroll up and feast my eyes on your lovely photos again!

    Reply
  9. Star

    That melon looks luscious! Thanks so much for sharing your insights 🙂

    Reply
  10. Eileen

    Absolutely gorgeous photos! I always love your food photographs. Our family seemed to eat watermelon, and I do remember my mother carving it up for us during the summer. Great memories, huh?

    Reply
  11. Christine

    Your photos took me away, far away and I thought of my dad many years ago. He had to drive a lot for his job in the midwest and often came home in the summer with wonderful produce from roadside stands. The prize was this melon with it’s super fine webbing vs. grocery store cantaloupes. I still remember him explaining the differences to look for to my brother and me. Those differences are now lost in the memory of time but the juicy taste and texture wasn’t and surfaced in your photos. Thank you!

    Reply
  12. Jeannie

    Raspberries do that for me. Transports me back to the patch with my cousin. She always blew into the raspberry to make sure there were no bugs. It drove me nuts! I ate the raspberry, bugs and all. 🙂

    Reply
  13. 24/7 in France

    Yes…sweet and juicy childhood memories…so many butterflies.

    Reply
  14. Marie-Noëlle

    While reading this post, I thought of Marcel Proust with his madeleine cake…
    I like your juicy memory !
    xo

    Reply
  15. Patti Lloyd

    I am so in love with that first photo and it makes me wish I were a famous painter that could execute that in oil! It’s a stunning still life..a perfect thought for the moments captured from another time. Our memories are full of still life’s hidden away and we are fortunate when something triggers one to the surface. Bless you Corey.

    Reply
  16. Marilyn

    Photos ~ gorgeous!
    Butterfly wings touch my soul with your words!
    Dreams to flit about my mind in the early morning hours.

    Reply
  17. Stephanie

    Gorgeous post: text and photos are lovely.

    Reply
  18. Rebecca from the pacific northwest

    That takes me back to Cavaillon (sp?) melons that we have SO enjoyed on several trips there. Yum. “Tuscan melons” flown in to western Washington look similar but just aren’t the same.
    What lush melon color in your photos.

    Reply
  19. Paula

    Wonderful for the eyes , the tastebuds, the soul.

    Reply

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