A Gentle Balance

Holding my dried lavender sprig, I strolled down the street toward an outdoor cafe patio lined with small metal bistro tables. A round wrought-iron table had a green glass sugar shaker sitting right in the center. I climbed onto the woven seat of an empty chair and carefully set my lavender sprig down against the metal weave. The tabletop had a loose wooden popsicle stick left on the cool surface. Resting my palms along the flat stick, I slid it gently until it balanced across the fluted rim of a clean ceramic saucer. It made a crisp wooden tap, tipping back and forth before coming to a steady, satisfying rest.