Chasing Grace

Tonight after the dinner dishes were done, cat fed, and husband happily occupied on the web, I washed my face and put on my pj’s. From about 6:30 to 7:00, I sat cross-legged on the corner of my bed and watched out the window in my bedroom. The window faces west, so I enjoyed the sunset. The clouds filled the sky with a rippled, wrinkled texture. I saw the light on the clouds change colors from a soft white to orange, fuscia, magenta, and then indigo as the sun slowly set.

I swept all thoughts, worries and questions from my mind. I simply sat and paid attention to the world outside my window.

I saw birds darting around in the sky, and the man across the street using his computer. I watched a squirrel run along the phone lines that stretch past my bedroom window, his tail whipping about to keep him from falling to the street below. I felt and smelled the breeze of approaching autumn.

It felt as if the mattress were floating on gentle waters, carrying me along a current of time, toward whatever future awaits. I didn’t worry or wonder about it. I just let it sweep me along. I let the evening soak into my very being. I became the dream, and the dream became real.

It’s a simple magic that anyone can do. It only requires that you stop, just stop, and pay close attention to whatever is going on around you. Take it in, breathe it deep and let it just be what it is. Open all the senses - sight, sound, touch, smell, taste - and let them fuse into a single, gentle flow. It’s a good way to refresh and cleanse your mind, heart and spirit.