Sun Dog

It's been a busy, busy spring and this morning is the first morning I've had in a long time to just sit and breathe. 

Don't get me wrong. My "To Do" list is still insanely long. There are a dozen voice messages that need to be responded to and the impressive pile of mail and papers in my kitchen has become cringe-worthy. Poor Chuck, my blind and arthritic dog, must think he's been abandoned and the kids, to their utter delight, are looking unkempt and kissed by smudges of dirt from my benign neglect. I even found forbidden candy wrappers tucked under the living room pillows which is bold - in the past the candy is usually consumed under a shrub in the yard and the evidence buried. 

See? I've been busy.

One of the fortunes of the morning, or so my friend keeps telling me, is watching the world wake up around you. Although I prefer to do that from the vantage of my bed, my friend is an early riser and sometimes, when feeling especially good in nature, I'll join him for a walk up the dirt road, listening to the birds and the soft bellows of cows. Sometimes, if we are early enough, the gray light will give way to gold as the sun rises above the mountains with names I have yet to discover and if we are truly lucky, a sun dog will appear...just for us, or so I like to think.

So now, watching the gray light turn brighter, I'm savoring the quiet morning and waiting, not impatiently, for the kids to wake up the house with their chatter and laughter. I'll sip my good coffee and  check my messages, organize my lists and consider the best strategy to get everybody to touch soap today. 

Then, I'll type a missive about it all, get up and get on with it.