What Woke Me Today

It's Thursday. That's garbage and recycling day in my neighborhood. As with every Thursday, I woke to the sounds of a heavy truck's engine and the banging of bins. I heard glass tumbling onto the recycling pile and bins landing back on the street, then the rising sound of the engine and the slight squeal of brakes as the truck moved on. Soon the sound faded altogether.

 The gentler sounds followed. The chickadees are still coming and going from the birdhouse in the tree outside our bedroom window. They're busy, those two, so they usually move in determined silence. But today I heard a few familiar calls of "chicka-dee-dee-dee." The song sparrow was up and singing. A towhee rasped. A dog barked, and a crow answered. Beneath it all was the steady waterfall of the fountain in our front garden.

Then there came the sound of a jet flying overhead, followed a short while later by the higher whine of a small plane. Then a second small plane. Does it seem to you like there's more air traffic again these days? 

This mix of natural and human made sounds is the backdrop of our lives. This morning, like every morning, I stayed in bed for a few minutes to take it all in. Before the pandemic we might have awakened more often to the sound of an alarm, tossing back the covers and getting up without registering anything else. But for many, this time of sheltering in place has brought the goodness of being able to sleep in a more natural rhythm, and the opportunity to really listen as our world wakes up each day. 

I've written before about the power of our senses to anchor us in the moment. We can use that tool to help us be more calm. But there's also the simple pleasure of feeling more alive. As I woke, listened, and stretched this morning, I was reminded again that this body I move in is truly a marvelous gift: with ears to hear and muscles to move, I am blessed to be able to perceive my own life force and the living things around me. And in listening through my bedroom window, I saw again that the world of my home is bigger than just Carl and me. 
Despite the many challenges of these days, we are still surrounded by constant reminders of life. Close your eyes and listen. How is life calling to you?

I know that we are growing weary of the pandemic. And we still have far to go. I'll take up that topic tomorrow. But for today, could it be a help for you to look and listen for life's continuing flow? Perhaps we all need to be reminded of it now and then.

 Until tomorrow, stay healthy. Take care. And know that you are part of a bigger whole that is still living, breathing, and moving forward.

 Love,
Nancie/Mom/Mimi/Grandma



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