BLUE - THEME THURSDAY

Marissa was never the type of girl to do things the way people expected her to.  Being unconventional and a little hyperactive did not seem irritating to her in the least, but it seemed to concern others.  Whether it was her inability to organize her life, her impulsive nature, or the ease with which she withdrew and suddenly returned, she wasn't sure, but one thing she was always sure of was that there was somewhere she needed to be, and she was not there.

It was a Thursday, a day that was, in the midst of the Midwestern summer, a joyful surprise.  The sky had taken on a dark, ominous tone, and with that cloud cover had come a cool, nearly chilly morning breeze, allowing the air conditioner to find a much needed respite.  Marissa threw open the windows and the flower-scented wind swirled impishly around her curtains, so instead of jumping up and going right to work that morning, she rewarded herself by lying on her big bed later than usual, propped up by half a dozen pillows, reading her latest book while the room cooled to a tolerable level.  Mother Nature even went so far as to force Marissa to pull the comforter up over her bare legs.

The birds seemed happier than they had been for awhile, too.  Doves cooed, cardinals chirped, and the little finches sang merrily while they ate breakfast on the feeders she kept filled for them all year-round.  

But even with all this pleasure surrounding her, the restless, impulsive woman could not quell the thought that something was missing, even today.  Marissa closed her book and stared out the window at the clouds and drifted back to sleep with one thought on her mind...blue. 

When she woke up, late for work and even more restless, Marissa threw a few pairs of shorts and a few t-shirts into a bag, jumped in the shower, and while brushing her teeth, dialed the number of her favorite airline.  "I'd like a one-way ticket to...anywhere with a blue ocean," she said into the phone, using the agent's moment to calculate and shop for her to spit and rinse, and she was still smiling and humming when the outrageous last-minute price was quoted to her, but not to be deterred, she jumped online and quickly transferred the money to cover the ticket price, and when all was said and done, a quick run to the nearest airport was undertaken.  

When she was tucked away into her ocean-view room with the windows thrown open, and the birds talking outside, the sea breeze swirling in around her, and the scent of the sea filling her senses, Marissa whispered..."Blue, that's what was missing today," as she stared at the crystalline water from her perch in the sky before running the few yards to put her feet in the warm salt water.  "Blue, blue, blue, blue, blue," she sang as she spun in a child's twirl, kicking up water, her laughter carried off on the wind toward her bedroom where there was no ocean, head back, eyes closed against the brilliant sun, and true contentment overtaking her soul.