Ernie Thayer

I think I was set up….

Yesterday was a lovely day with visiting family, showing off some of our gorgeous coastline. A clear wintry blue sky, cool but comfy, endlessly inviting walks and viewpoints, sea lion roars, crashing surf, surging swell hiding then revealing the contours of the sea. Afterwards, the puppies (and several of the humans!) lay listless most of the evening, having spent themselves at the beaches. I felt a cozy warmth from the day’s activity, tired but happy.

I remember clearly how that morning I’d pulled a warm fleece blanket around me while reading, and suddenly felt deeply the warmth of life, and a smile spread across my face. A familiar act performed for thousands of years by millions of people. Yet this was one of those ‘little’ moments where I felt the enormous depth of life. The experience colored the whole day and led naturally to many others: little shared moments of fun or love with Holly, laughter at our human foibles, joy at seeing wild animals or watching our pets frolic, being humbled by ‘uphill’ – little twirls in the dance of life, each one revealing a mystery.

It seems so easy to miss the full meaning of what we think are ‘little’ moments. But such moments crack the world open to reveal immensity just below the surface. If I let it, that small moment opens my heart to fullness that all my trying, thinking, hoping, and wanting can never touch. And it is so EASY.

I think I was set up….