I awoke to my little girl running into the kitchen to find us and then crying "Mommy, where ARE you??" when she didn't find me. Of course then comes the inevitable jump on my bed, and the day begins. As per usual, I stumble into the kitchen, put on the kettle, and pour her some milk. We have had so much rain lately, and I was delighted to get up to gorgeous sunshine absolutely pouring in the windows and bouncing happily off walls. Once I got my hot cuppa decaf (it's just not the same..) and crawled back into my bed (I'm turning into my mother), other than the sound of my girl happily playing in her room, a chorus of birdsong filters in my window. It takes me back to my childhood, funnily enough.
I remember Sunday mornings as a kid. I would be awakened to, first, soft birdsong. Then it would get louder and louder and, finally, the birds would be overshadowed by loud classical music booming from the speakers of my father's stereo in the livingroom. I remember cringing, covering my ears with my pillow and being SO annoyed to be awake. No, there wasn't a symphony outside. These birds weren't singing in my window, they were being broadcast over MPR's radio station airwaves, and my dad thought that was a nice way to wake me up. I'm smiling to myself thinking of all the creative ways he thought was a good way to wake me up over the years. At the time I wanted to murder him, of course, but I guess it prepared me for life. Not everything gets handed to you with kid gloves. Sometimes life just slaps you in the face and says, Here, deal with it. Get up.
But, this morning, even though I'm still in a fog, the sound of those birds is a comforting familiarity. They will always be out there, no matter what life is throwing at me, or what stage of life I'm dealing with. It's simple things like this that keep you sane. Nature remains constant, continues to do the same things it has done for thousands of years, even though drastic "progress" threatens it's existence.
So, little birdies, I'm awake. I'm ready for what the day has in store for me. And for everyone else, keep listening. Take time to enjoy the simple beauties of life and see what they have to offer. You might be surprised how much you missed what you never knew you needed.
Note: This photo taken by L'Homme Rioux.
