The slatted blinds cast a hopscotch pattern on the floor today and it isn’t just me that’s noticed. Both Susie and Delia have seized upon this daybreak blessing and move from box to box as the breeze from the window shifts the squares along. They jump as agilely as I once did without benefit of a nearby rock and with similar delight. I recognize it. I celebrate it. How wonton I am to discover it in my get-things-done –“I have to be on time”– life. How often I choose to just grab a coffee and go.
When I start the day sitting, those little cats remind me of the more important things that need to be done. My morning moments of meditation and prayer. The time to observe the wonder around me. Slatted blinds. The time to hear silence before entering the bedlam outside.
Sunrise’s shadows linger long into the afternoon. My two cats’ curled next to me sustain my memory of home.
I can’t guarantee day’s end but I at least can cushion its beginning–with gratitude and prayer.
