I fell back asleep after my alarm went off this morning, and I hadn't hit the snooze button. I woke with a jolt a half hour later, and leaped out of bed with foreboding perched on my shoulder, digging it's talons into my tightening muscles and croaking "You're going to be late," in the same tones Poe's raven proclaimed "nevermore." I hate being late!
I rushed around the house like a madwoman, donning the only ironed outfit in my closet, throwing together a lunch, and doing the stupid things one does when in too much of a hurry, like knocking my full coffee cup off the counter.
Mopping the floor set me even further behind.
I slung my bags over my shoulder and headed downstairs to the car, dropping my purse in a puddle as I struggled to find my keys, and then headed off down the road.
We're having another dark, rainy day but, even so, the sky seemed unusually dim to me. Surely the clouds couldn't be that heavy! I glanced at the clock on my dashboard and realized that instead of being almost late, I was an hour early! I must've set my alarm clock for the wrong time last night. Ugh.
So, there I was in my only-one-ironed work outfit, more than halfway to work, more than an hour before I had to open the office.
I could have headed home but, instead, I did something I've never done before. I parked at the hotel by the bay, left my computer, my camera, and my book in the trunk, and went into the restaurant. I ordered coffee and toast and sat for three quarters of a hour, gazing out at the bay as the sky lightened.
It's very rare for me to sit doing nothing at all. I almost always have knitting or mending in my hands, or I occupy my quiet moments with a book. Today, I did none of those things. I simply sat and looked and let my mind wander where it will. I can't tell you now what I was thinking about - wool gathering's like that - but when I left the restaurant and continued on to work, I felt relaxed and refreshed.
The whole thing - the rush, the stress, the relief I felt when I discovered I wasn't late - reminded me that I too often create my own worries. I need to remember to set aside some quiet time every day. It's every bit as important as any of the other things I do. Maybe more so.
We all need time to just be.
I hope that your day is off to a good beginning and that, however, busy you may be you find a moment or two to pause and enjoy some quiet too. Have a joyful Wednesday.
