The Joy of Rambling

Today I will not dwell on yesterday. Today is the gift I get to open and explore with God’s help. May I make the most of it.                                                                                 

***

She swirls, she dances, she personifies merriment. She is perpetually in her glory. She only has an on switch, and there is not a soul who doubts her consistent appearance. 

And with it, all of life rejoices. 

***

Giddy with excitement, hovering at the edge of my horizon, moving almost imperceptibly upward, she giggles with delight. I am at watch, eyes steady, awaiting her arrival. She teases me with a tiny stretch of her hand. Sparks of light, like giant fingers stretch out and reach up across the dark morning. So full of barely containable glee, she laughs and squirms just below my field of view. She’s coming. She’s on her way. She knows I know, but this game we play never tires either one of us. I feel her explosive power waiting, wanting to shout so badly, but the time is not yet right. 

Miles away in the city, hands are slamming alarm clocks, begging for ten more minutes of sleep. Bleary eyed bakery staff, mothers with toddlers in tow, and jet-lagged executives make their way in the dark, barely conscious. They are aware she’s on her way but their focus is elsewhere. The brilliance of her arrival will be sadly lost on them. They will already be behind closed doors, attending to their tasks when she makes her appearance.

I take a moment to mourn for these trapped souls.

And then, Boom! She appears and shocks me from my meditation.

I view her glowing orange dome against the crisp line of the ocean’s edge. I hear her laughter and feel her anticipation as she now seems to launch ever upward in one continual movement. She explodes in beauty, coloring the ocean’s rippling waves and creating pink puffs of clouds against the cerulean sky. 

She is now free from her hidden post and shouting to anyone who will listen, “I am here! I am here!”

The gulls appear out of nowhere and soar noisily across her backdrop. The wind dances and those in their beds awaken to a new day, full of promise, hope and potential. I stand and smile, breathing in the warm goodness of her presence. 

As she continues her ascent, she seems no longer to be that young silly girl, but now a woman of purpose and contentment. With effortless grace, she unveils the small creek beds, spider webs and ants and breathes life into leaves and flowers. This is her job and she does it well. 

I sit and admire her fervor and consistency. If only I had a morsel of it … what could I not accomplish? But because she exists, I am never without opportunity to try again. 

I smile up at her, now squinting against her piercing rays. We connect in a moment of knowing: all things are possible. I nod a salute and turn toward the house to refill my coffee cup. What will today bring? I have every chance to find out because she lives.