The Golden Road

“Once upon a time we all walked on the golden road. It was a fair highway, through the Land of Lost Delight; shadow and sunshine were blessedly mingled, and every turn and dip revealed a fresh charm and a new loveliness to eager hearts and unspoiled eyes. On that road we heard the song of morning stars; we drank in fragrances aerial and sweet as a May mist; we were rich in gossamer fancies and iris hopes; our hearts sought and found the boon of dreams; the years waited beyond and they were very fair; life was a rose-lipped comrade with purple flowers dripping from her fingers.We may long have left the golden road behind, but its memories are the dearest of our eternal possessions; and those who cherish them as such may haply find a pleasure in the pages of this book, whose people are pilgrims on the golden road of youth.” ~ L.M. Montgomery

This piece is the foreword to a book entitled The Golden Road by Lucy Maud Montgomery. It is one of the most beautiful pieces of prose that I have ever had the good fortune of stumbling across. Montgomery ranks among my favourite authors. Indeed, she drew her inspiration from the poem for which this blog is titled: “The Fringed Gentian”.

I thought the theme fitting for this particular blog, for today I celebrate the beginning of my 22nd year of life. Yes folks, I’m the birthday girl today!

I have long left the golden road of childhood behind. All that I ask however, is that I retain the spirit of hope, wonder, enthusiasm and endless possibilities that characterised that period of my life.

If I can manage to

greet each birthday with as much excitement as I greeted my 10th birthday when I finally hit those double digits
maintain that my possessions are animate and talk to each other when I leave the room
play each hand I am dealt with as much vigour as I played Sticky, Mother May I …?, In a Fine Castle and Brown Girl In the Ring
get excited, REALLY excited about the small pleasures in life like confetti, pretty accessories and new “toys” to play with
love classic literature like how I loved Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew, Baby Sitters’ Club and the Sweet Valley world
let a good bowl of ice-cream, a snowcone or a donut make my day
remember that girls’ clubs NEVER go out of style
curl up under the covers and enter my fantasy world every night before I fall asleep
adore getting all dressed up for special events
walk around arm in arm with my closest friends and never be too old to tell them how much I love them
look forward to church on Christmas eve night and get that special tingle when I walk through the doors
believe that becoming a ballerina/gymnast/superheroine/anything I want to in this world is right within my reach
live for happy surprises
kick off my shoes, throw them in a corner and run wild
stay up all night because I’m so excited about something wonderful that’s going to happen in the morning
never lose the desire to keep learning
blow out the candles on all my cakes and still believe that the wishes will come true
be as happy when I’m dressing for my wedding as I was playing dress-up with my cousins
listen to mummy and auntie cause they know more and they love me
see myself as the heroine in all my fairytales
talk about something amazing that happened over and over and over and let the sheer delight of the memory shine in my eyes
be as proud of my career as I was when I got those gold star stickers for getting 100% in primary school tests
get that same thrill before each of life’s journeys that I did the first time I ever stepped on a plane
and feel the same passion for my husband that I felt for Ace Goodheart, Derk Daring and Captain Planet

then the golden road will never be too far away.