Woke up. Fell out of bed. Dragged a comb across my head. Found my way downstairs and drank a cup. Somebody spoke and I went into a dream….
No, that’s not me.
I wake up without the need for an alarm, or at least a mechanical one. Sam, my cat, does the job just fine. I live in a small one-bedroom apartment, and I’m allergic to my own cat.
For my respite from respiratory distress, the bedroom door separates Sam and I for the hours I need to sleep. He does okay overnight on his own. He has some excellent nighttime perches from which to view the nocturnal meanderings of the various denizens of the backyard. But Sam does let me know when it’s time for my respite to end, for me to resume my duty as his chosen and most loyal human servant.
After so many years of recovery, I still don’t take a few minutes to sit on the edge of my bed, meditate, and feel grateful for another day of sobriety. My first priority is opening my bedroom door to relieve Sam of his separation anxiety. At least, that’s what I imagine it is, although he probably just wants me to start and end my breakfast so he can get his post-meal treats.
Straight from bed to the door, I allow Sam in. He’s very happy to see me and trots little circles around me as I throw on my houseclothes, then proceed to the kitchen to prepare my morning oats. Sam supervises, in order to make sure I’m doing this right. As the oats are getting nuked, I head to the bathroom and brush my teeth. Sam supervises, and when I’m done he tastes the tap water to make sure it’s safe. Ding goes the microwave—oats are done. I pour some frozen blueberries on my oats, cover the bowl, let it stand, then head to my computer desk, power on, and log in. Sam is busy exploring the bedroom and bathroom, as I play his favourite song, The Dog Days Are Over.
As I devour my breakfast, I begin to write as my daily morning meditation. I reflect gratefully on my recovery. Only over the past week have I started using the WordPress ‘writing prompt’. Prior to this, I would just journal. I don’t know if it’s my ADHD, but I find it much more beneficial to free-write as opposed to sitting in silent meditation. Some days I’ll jump in the shower first, but more often I shower after I do my morning writing.
And that pretty much wraps-up the first hour of my day!
The Peace of Wild Things 