“Observe the wonders as they occur around you.  Don’t claim them.  Feel the artistry moving through and be silent”

– Jalal ad-Din Rumi

Today is a wonderful day to be awake — not merely alive, but awake.  Each morning when I open my eyes and have the first awareness that I am still breathing, I am thankful to be alive; but after discovering that I’m still here, I need to wake up and really see, really experience the world where I live.  Today is a wonderful day to be awake.  A steady rain fell last night; and although it had stopped by morning, drops of water hung on each leaf and each flower petal.  Abundant water, too abundant to soak into the earth, stood in puddles along the path where I took my morning walk.

The brown, parched grass of last week was beginning to stand tall as the addition of water set photosynthesis to work and sent new shoots of vibrant green to overshadow the colorless casualties of the dry spell.  The creek sang more loudly as its volume, increased by the restoring rain, turned up the volume of its music as it flowed over the rocks and on toward the river.  Water bugs skipped from place to place on the surface, leaving rippling rings that widened and collided with the ones from their comrades.

The luscious mud on the banks of the stream once again had its pungent aroma, a welcome change from the dust that only days ago stung our eyes and clogged our nostrils.  I walked, embraced by all the wonder of this beautiful, freshly-washed morning, leaving dry footprints as the drops of water fell to the ground under my feet.  The trees dropped their excess rain as the breeze gently blew their leaves, and I was bathed in this second-storm as the water fell around me.  It was only when I stepped out into the clearing that I realized a soft rain had begun to fall.  I stood for a moment, face turned upward, and felt the wonder of rain wash over me.  I stood tall, there amid the blades of grass, and felt a sort of oneness with them.  Of course they were reaching for the sky, I thought; the rain has brought them back to life, and now they are awake.

Alive is good, but awake is wonderful!  Today is a wonderful day to be awake!  Let us make that our statement every day that we live.