Song of the moment: Big Hard Sun by Eddie Vedder
Not that anyone really cares how I spend my Saturday mornings, but this one, in particular, was pretty awesome, and it reminded me of a small appreciation for the small things in life (like notepads that operate on battery, so that I could write this, under current circumstances).
First, I awoke this morning to black. It was 4:06am. This is not unheard of. I typically wake up each morning, somewhere between 4:00am and 4:12am, only to roll back over and head back to my dreamscapes. I'm starting to wonder if perhaps life is preparing me for the 4am hour, somehow. Pushing me wake naturally at that hour. What's to come, life? And why 4am? You don't expect me to, like, get up and ready my daily regime at that time, in the future, do you? Because...that would be the opposite of awesome. This morning was no different. I woke again, to sun the next time at 7:37am. I fell asleep for the third time because it's Saturday.
I finally rose from bed, some short time after 8am. Coffee, is numero uno, for me, each morning. I am not really functional until mid second cup, really. So, life is good. I'm awake. Sipping coffee and sprucing up my diggs. I'd even swept, mopped, de-grossed, and sanitized my bathroom by 8:36am! I've got cleaning my tiny bathroom down to a science.
I'm feeling good about getting things prepped before I head to the mountains to see my mountain man.
And then...the lights shut off. The fans cease to spin. The hum of the refrigerator comes to a jumbled halt and worse yet? I no longer hear the sacred drip, drip, drip of my percolating coffee pot. Madness I tell you....not even 1 cup yet...
I'm wandering about the house wondering if I've paid my bill, when I realize, No...I've wisened up with my bills- they come out of my account....those fancy computers and tech things make life pretty simple. So, no. It's not that I've not paid it...it's the automatic PG&E shut off date.
Amidst a small flood of relief, I hear beauty filling my tiny house. It's overwhelming and it's total calm.
It's dead quiet in my house.
No drips, no hums, no jangles and jingles.
Nothing.
It's silent.
And then, I remember the beauty in silence. So quiet. So humbling to remember that life moves forward without the drum of electronics and cares not about the timing of things.
So, the bathroom is clean and I decide to hang out, for a bit with these guys.
I realize that one tiny Sweet Cheery Pepper has made an appearance from the petals of a late flower.
And then there's this one. This one is a Spicy Thai Pepper....is it supposed to look like...eeee (sorry Mom and Dad for the mild inappropriateness. I want to write things you can be proud of, but you have to admit, it's sorta funny).
And here's the small gang. A pathetic attempt, perhaps, at honing my gardening skills, but alas, there they are!!
And while outside, I remember where I live and the beauty that surrounds me. When life is quiet, I spend my time staring at this small town, with total awe.
For example, a few weekends ago, I spent some time here:
My camera phone doesn't do this spot justice. Suffice it to say, this took my breath from me a few times.
I live right beside this!!!
That same day, a new friend and I drove out to drop off and pick up these nuts who decided it would be fun to ride a class 3-4 river filled with snow melt:
So, my new friend and I drop off the boys and head out 5 miles up a dirt road, filled with visions of enormous expanses of wild earth and trees. We talk about families, men and what makes us happy in life. We come around a bend in the road and who do we see?
It was Paddington Bear! A bear cub, walked across the path right in front of us and he just, sort of, hung out.
And, again, Ii am reminded of this place I call home and what it was that drew me here in the first place. Some pretty staggering beauty lives here, right in front of me. And when I am calm, quiet and still, I see more than the trees in front of me.
I love this place, and funny as it may be, I am thankful for a quiet and still Saturday morning, which allows me the space to pay attention, again, to the small things around me and an appreciation for life without the hum of a refrigerator.
Happy Saturday!
