It’s been a couple of years since the water lilies have blossomed. I’m grateful to see the effort to clear the pond has yielded this gorgeous bloom. While I’ve continued to enjoy sitting by the pond, I haven’t gotten in the water for more than a week; most of the work is done, the air’s been cooler, and I’ve been focusing on other things. Today after working all I could manage inside, I tried to lie down but it hurt too much to lie flat. At first I felt sorry for myself, then I breathed compassion into the pain. And then I began to think about how good it felt to be immersed in the cool water in the pond. It was mid-afternoon, about 75℉ air temp, and I knew it would be at least ten degrees less in the water, so, chilly. I talked myself out of it, until I talked myself into it.

She swam for safety and tucked in. I soaked in the hydrostatic pressure and felt my tired body revitalize. How marvelous to settle in the water, let the thinking mind rest, and be at one with nature. Maybe I’ll get another moment in the pond before surgery, or maybe I won’t get another chance until spring. Either way, I savored this afternoon’s moment, thinking neither about the future nor the past, just this, just here, just now: this body in this body of water, in the midst of all the simple life going on all around me.

Who did not escape her notice yesterday was the kind young man from Hartman Brothers who delivered and set up the hospital bed in front of the living room window. As is her wont, Wren investigated and supervised, making sure he got everything just right. Like Goldilocks, she tried it out as soon as he finished. She approved.

I’m grateful for so much today. For Wren and the other animal companions, from Topaz and Biko and the Scrub Jays to the Special Goldfinches and the Flicker; for the ease and good cheer with which a hospital bed was delivered; for the patience and skill of Kia from Apple during our two-hour online chat yesterday morning to unfreeze my phone, and for my own patience and good cheer in surrendering to that critical process despite having so much else to do; for Natalie who detailed the car so beautifully the other day; for all the prayers and good wishes coming my way for a successful operation. More than anything, I’m grateful today for a hopeful trend as a beloved cousin seems to be coming incrementally back to life after a catastrophic health crash.