Wake up. It’s dark outside.
Unspeakable necessities. Turn on the heat. Feed the dog. Make coffee. Let the dog out for her unspeakable necessities. Sit down and have a sip of coffee. Get up and let the dog back into the house. Sit down again with my cup of coffee. Pull up the WordPress app on my phone and start to write.
This is the rhythm of a cold spring morning.
The house starts to warm up, and the coffee reassures me.
The writing nudges me and I ask myself the usual unanswerable questions. Who am I? What’s going on in my life and what does this all mean? As if meaning is necessary beyond the immediate, of course. We live. We die. Be kind and honorable and valuable to those around you. Better not swerve to far in the woo-woo direction lest I drive into that shallow metaphysical ditch filled with crystals and secret wordcel esoterica known only to the Initiates.
Today is a day. Do what is right for today, this day. For yourself first: physical and spiritual daily maintenance. For your family next: support them and encourage them, for they too have their own paths to follow.
Co-workers. Encourage them to grow or find their own True Place where they can thrive. Reason/season/lifetime. The poem says it all.
Community: be a good citizen at all levels, starting from block to neighborhood to city to county to state to nation to world. But don’t try to save the fucking whales metaphorically or literally at the expense of yourself or those close to you. Put on your own oxygen mask first, then reach out to help someone else. This message escaped me for too long.
That’s daunting. I can’t do it all.
Just drink your coffee then have some breakfast. Shower and go to work. One step at a time. Just keep your heart open and thank God for the day when you momentarily rise above the mundane and see the wonders arrayed around you.