As I get older, I treasure the simple things just a little bit more...
I don’t do it often enough but today, I did. I sat out on the front steps with a cuppa coffee before everyone else woke up. It’s quiet. The sun is out. Birds are singing. It’s peaceful. It’s my favorite part of the day. It’s hard to get out of the nice comfortable bed but it’s worth it.
I’ll sit with my coffee and some of my journals. I keep several. A couple have been given to me by my daughter. I sometimes just find it good to sit with my thoughts.
My neighbor Laura drives by slowly as she heads out for donuts for her family. She told me once that one of the gas stations nearby has homemade donuts by a woman baker in Milton. I got them the next Sunday for my family. Although a little pricey, they were fantastic.
She slows and stops. We talk quietly as we know others are asleep. It’s good to chat. Just another benefit of getting up early.
As I sit, little finches fly by me as they head from the side bush to the front bush, in search of bugs to eat for their morning snack. Often, I can hear the flutter of their wings as they pass closely by my head. It’s truly amazing that as I sit, I’m just part of nature and they think nothing of me as they fly by.
A black car slowly drives up as the woman inside gets out to deliver the New York Times to our neighbors. They might just be the only ones who still get the paper delivered. As she chucks the paper onto their front porch, it makes me think of times long ago where every house got the evening paper. It’s how we got our news. Growing up, my next-door neighbor, John, had a newspaper route. We often rode bikes with him so he’d be done quicker and we could play baseball sooner in the Wentworth’s backyard.
A huge bumblebee buzzes nearby, enjoying all the flowers in my lovely bride’s garden. She works hard planting and weeding the garden just so (MLB, not the bees). Neighbors compliment her often as they pass by. This day, the bumblebee is soaking up all it can while I enjoy its humming, thinking it must be so happy. I grab my phone and capture a couple photos of it as it collects the flowers nectars.
Several neighbors quietly walk by with their dogs. It gets them out walking and it’s good for both. As they pass, sometimes they’ll stop and let the dogs have a moment or two of time together. Our friend Sheila will come by often. She has a young strong dog. He likes other dogs but sometimes doesn’t show it by barking loudly and trying to get after them. But Sheila is good. She keeps a strong grip on him and off they go on the rest of their walk.
One of the dozens of chipmunks in our yard approaches the steps. He pays no attention to me. Busily chewing on a peanut (where they get them, I have no idea.) Finally noticing me, he looks up and freezes. I try and talk to him, asking him how his day is going. No response. He scurries off under the bushes to continue his food search.
Off in the distance, I hear the church bells as they ring out the hour. That reminds me of growing up where those bells told everyone the time. There was just something about that made it comforting to hear them every day.
My friend Kelly walks by with Henry, the happiest dog ever, and we chat for a bit about running, the latest favorite book that we’ve read, or the latest updates on all our kids.
As cars start to whiz by, I know it’s getting later. I head back inside. I’ll deliver coffee, as I made it earlier. I give it to my lovely bride who I let sleep in a bit. She’s very happy as I deliver it while getting a big hug.
Getting up early, it’s a pretty good way to start the day.