Ecstasy. As I swirl the word around my palate, it conjures a hot papaya rush. The sugar fizz fever of a blossoming summer romance. The sweaty thump of a bass drop in a sea of swishing liquor and obsidian eyes. The surge of adrenaline that caramelises and ignites your beating compass as you glide coasters, scale cliffs and plunge deep into tropic oceans.

     But when the world shuts down, masks cloak faces and a virus curdles the curves of our floating rock, this rush becomes a bit tougher to find. It spreads out in syrup smooth strokes, a kaleidoscope of tiny honey fireworks nestling in the nooks of the everyday and buttering the crevices of the little things. And as we zoom in, slow down and find it curled in these daily pleasures, we see it fizzes louder and beams brighter than ever before. The first sip of the perfect cup of tea. The warm pudding purr of a cat thrumbling around the room. The marshmallow embrace of your duvet after an exhausting day.

     Then comes nature, boasting her treasure trove of sumptuous gems and lulling our senses into sweet hypnosis. A standard evening stroll evokes emotion like nothing else. Above, a mango peach fire blazes between buttermilk clouds, smouldering the day into deep velvet slumber. Around us, jasmine blooms her dusk enchantment as the symphony of warblers, owls and nightjars go glittering the blue dark. Beneath us, leaves pepper the pavements in shades of lava and lime as the damp soil sighs its petrichor splendour. Everywhere you look, a banquet of natural delights simmer loud and proud beneath the whispers of moonlight . The glistening webs of the silk architects, the flitting acrobatics of the bats, the scampering snouts of the fire bush tails traversing rubbish bin pastures.

     As the world yawns open once again, we appreciate these treasures all the more. The quiet gems so long neglected now stain their shades and double jab their pigments beyond just our periphery. Yes, we celebrate the return to our best friend’s laughter and our mum’s embrace and we cheer on the festivals and cool pints poured in the bustling beer gardens. But now we cherish the tapestry of little joys beckoning in between; the bubbling trickle on that toast, the cuddling scent of that laundry and the rustling sway of those pitter patter leaves.

     Question is, what is this feeling? What flavours and fills the contours of this intoxicating rush? I believe it’s the inner child nestled in our bones, tucked and peeping amidst the jungle of our thoughts. That ecstatic surge we feel is them waking up within us, being let loose inside us, swinging on our ribcage, splashing through our bloodstream and crafting dens in the chambers of our heart.

     And the beauty is, when pavements fall silent and sanitizer floods palms, we can still conjure that rush and coax this inner child out to play right here from within, whenever we desire.

     Drench your soul in the vibrant palette of your imagination and paint yourself an oasis to play in. Take a look at that cup of tea beside you. See the candyfloss mists and cinnamon steam clouds spiralling up and bursting into puddles of emerald and Egyptian gold. Cradle the humming porcelain as it melts to silk in your palms and inhale the spiced lavender ocean swirling about within. See the wild dolphins and technicolour turtles skimming currents and gliding waves which glisten like frosted meringue. Hear the honeysuckle shores of the island bubbling at the centre, rippling away with its caramel sands and warm ruby lagoons.

     Sit back and allow the flavours and motion of your mind to spill out and colour the world around you, ecstasy pouring from the honey lemon lake of your ‘instasy’. You are the architect of your reality, the sculptor of your joy, the master crafter of the fizz, spark and rush. So, dip your soul in the ink of inspiration and go scribe your story.