They are places full of life, noisy, busy, I would say they are the heart of the city.
I am not referring to the large supermarket chains but to those more authentic, such as the farmers’ markets, here in Calgary.
Sometimes I visit them, they are places where you can get flowers, fruits, and fresh vegetables, but I go straight to the cakes, cookies, and chocolates.
On my last visit, something curious happened.
A bright and colorful corner, that I had never seen before, caught my attention.
I approached with curiosity.
I walked slowly around the store, reading what they offered.
Protection and balance, spiritual purity, clarity, and lucidity.
Other more complex combinations.
Sensuality, passion, peace, and tenderness.
Mental balance, openness, communication.
Some promised healing for digestive or circulatory problems.
I didn’t know which one to buy, a sample of each would be very useful.
Maybe you already imagine what this is about.
It was a stall where they sell stones and their mystical properties.
Quartz, selenite, lapis lazuli, pyrite.
A ring with a green stone, in the shape of a drop, imperfect, captivated my attention and well, since my birthday is this week, I decided to buy it. They told me name of the stone was Seaglass.
I came home to “google” its meaning. The first option that came out the search was the name of a wine, a Pinot Grigio.
I took it as a good omen, but a little further down I read that this stone is a symbol of renewal and healing.
It is simply broken glass carved by the force of the sea (no wonder I saw myself reflected), a process that cannot be copied by any human tool.
As I write these lines, I look at my green ring shining on my right hand and I wished for my birthday, as per the stone properties, to be kept healthy and renewed each day.
And, by the way, I’m going to try this Seaglass wine, see how it goes.
Double gift.
Leonor Henríquez (Caracas, Venezuela) Civil Engineer by training (UCAB 1985), writer and apprentice poet by vocation. From her time in engineering emerged her Office Stories (1997), another way of seeing the corporate world. Her latest publications include reflections on grief, Hopecrumbs (2020) (www.hopecrumbs.com) and “The Adventures of Chispita” (2021) (www.chispita.ca) an allegory of life inside Mom’s belly.
Today she shares her “impulsive meditations” from Calgary, Canada, where she lives.
leonorcanada@gmail.com