as I start my morning walk

“Laughter is sunshine, it chases winter from the human face.” 
― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables




I was one of the fortunate souls that had parents who knew what laughter was all about and was born in a city that produced the most comedians .....Liverpool. But to get more in tune with this genre was actually Bootle that received a larger part of Hitler's wrath than the great old city of London did.


I reflect back to my beginnings with a great smile and a belly laugh.....I came just after the war and heard the stories.  Many a hero was your next door neighbor, so said my dad. He called them the unsung heroes.  Mum said they kept the pubs open after closing time with heavy coverings on the windows to hide the light inside...the light from lamps and also the laughter. Mum said it kept them all sane.


The laughter was born from fear, not knowing if tomorrow would come.  I heard those lyrics last night at a local theater here in Winter Haven Florida. The production of Les Miserables sung with local talent bellowed across the stage reaching the last row of seats and it perfumed the air with a mixture of emotions. My mind raced back to my memories of a war that touched the local folk and how they dealt with it.


Born of fear, yes that's a good description I came up with in my musings as I was reflecting back in time.


Laughter.....it is contagious.


Victor Hugo wrote about the sufferings he saw as did Charles Dickens. They took their musings and put it to ink and paper.  I thank the authors past, present and future for sharing their mental writings with us. We all do the mental writings, that chalk board or diary in our minds but we don't all set it to paper or canvas.


I am sharing my musings with you, dear reader.  This is just the beginning of a memorable journey if you so choose to stay and walk with me.  We will pause along the way maybe to pick a flower that reminds us of something we need to share or just sit on a bench and pluck a bubble containing a memory and watching it burst forth producing words of colors falling on a pallet.......