22nd August – An Invitation

Maureen caught me outside the shop today, rain dripping off the awning. “Castle ruins on Sunday. Don’t say no.” And I didn’t. Perhaps it’s her way of kindness, pulling me outward before I think myself back inside again.

I pictured the stones, worn smooth by centuries, flowers finding their way through cracks. It feels like an odd promise, a day that is already alive in my imagination.

The ruins are a kind of mirror, maybe—something once whole, now broken, yet still standing in its beauty. Perhaps that’s why I find myself looking forward to it more than I expected