Life’s Fluidity

Wake up. I stir quietly. Eyes alight. Full and bright, ever present in the present. Five- thirty A.M. The universe is silent at this time, as the sun rises with a lingering, quiet yawn.  The sheets unwinding as I stumble away, slipping away, leaving the bed’s warmth. In my careless daze I stub my biggest digit against the bed. “WHY?” I screech. With that, I hear the birds chirp, and a car engine starts puttering away. Squeaking hinges and chattering squirrels. The peaceful silence shattered. It seems the universe is finally awake. My leg is numb with the pain. It stings and hurts. But I accept the pain, and let it pass. Rubbing it, I trudge carefully, grumbling and muttering as I make my way deliberately in the hallway.

I enter the kitchen. Fry up the eggs sunny side up, just the way I like it. Buttering my semi-burnt bread, I take a bite, listening at the residential hubbub. Children laughing, gravel being kicked up as they walk by. A bicycle dings, and then an alternate bike dings back as if in reply. A bus races elsewhere. I can’t help but grumble again. Where is my peaceful silence? I wish I can head back in time, where I can revel in the bed’s embrace. Nevertheless, I take a deep breath, and let my feelings pass, finishing my eggs with a satisfying gulp.

As I draw my bath, the bubbles rising up the surface and disappearing, I reflect. With a lurch, I had an epiphany.  What I learned, was indulge in this instant, this small sliver that I can claim as mine. Appreciate it.  Just like the silent dawn, it can and will change suddenly. Always shifting, always persistent, always there. Life.