It was one of those mornings when things went sideways. One phone call after another, searching for someone who could help with a plumbing issue. Such gratitude when you hear, “Sure, I can get to you today.” Then you stand there listening, nodding along, while secretly thinking, “Skip that part. Just fix it.”
By the time the last truck drove off, the drilling was over, having reminded me a little too much of the four hours I spent at the dentist last week. I looked at my watch. Most of the day had slipped by.
I wondered what I would post today, keeping this daily commitment to show up for myself and here on Instagram. I settled at my desk in the studio, still without heat, though I’m promised that will change by the end of the week.
Looking out the window, I thought: surely this is the golden autumn lining to the day. I picked up my camera and took a few photographs.
A little photo card left over from our last Tahilla Gathering caught the light. Its message seemed just right:
Like the little stream
Making its way
Through the mossy crevices
I, too, quietly
Turn clear and transparent.
— Ryōkan, from Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf, translated by John Stevens
And that kind of says it all.
