Uma & Me
The dream was not so much a story as it was an image of Uma in the box looking at me in a serene way that seemed to say, "Don't fret, food guy. I'm with you and I'll always be with you."
It felt like a visitation rather than a dream.
When I woke, the song playing in my head was Total Eclipse of the Heart. I only mention it because the significance of the song was a mystery to me. Sure, the dream was bittersweet but not a total eclipse by any stretch. Are you as frustrated as I am by these mixed messages the Universe seems to favor?
After some deliberation, I decided to stay up even though it was so early that it didn't qualify, in my way of thinking, to actually be morning. Didn't feel like the beginning of the day but rather the middle of the night.
I walked into the kitchen weighing the consequences of making coffee and staying awake. I pulled back the curtains to look out onto the lanai. It was all darkness in the backyard, except for one lone solar light burning in the garden.
Curious, I thought, why only one? Why aren't the others shining? I walked out into the garden and touched the light with my toe to align it with the garden border. The light went out the instant I touched it.
Coincidence? Probably, and yet, such coincidences occur far too often in my life to suit me. I walked back into the kitchen thinking, What the hell, Louis?
I made coffee and took it to the lanai, where I sat and began recording bird calls in the Merlin app. I decided to accept the gift of early morning, which I don't often take advantage of--normally opting to get in the eight hours instead.
Ms. Wonder will be awake at dawn I thought. She'll have a few excellent suggestions for celebrating the rest of the day. But then I remembered that Wonder and her Wonder friend were on Oak Island, climbing the stairs to the top of the lighthouse. I don't know why they indulge in these excesses; because they can maybe?
And so I devised a plan intended to keep me away from the eclipse of the heart and perhaps rachet up the mood a notch or two. My plan was to simply enjoy being alive for the rest of the morning. I thought of journaling in The Circular Journey and that led me to this post.
By half past nine, it was clear that journaling would be nothing but a series of fits and starts. Not what I was hoping for. My mood was not going to allow me to bypass my eclipsed heart. But not to worry. I had plan number two. I cranked the starter on Wynd Horse and headed her toward the Memorial Bridge. In minutes I was turning onto Castle Street.
Feathery clouds had sneaked into the sky while I wasn't looking, and the wind had picked up since I left Waterford. Leaves rattled as they crab-walked across Castle Street and bits of airborne detritus blew about above the sidewalks. I thought if I drove slow enough I might see Piglet fly by.
No familiar faces greeted me as I ordered and took a seat by the windows but not too near the door. The coffee was superb, the music was happy, and the Princess was at peace. Considering my early rise, I suspected Amy to have fallen back asleep.
As I sipped Jah's Mercy and contemplated the easy morning coming down, I remembered the most important lesson Uma taught me:
I walked into the kitchen weighing the consequences of making coffee and staying awake. I pulled back the curtains to look out onto the lanai. It was all darkness in the backyard, except for one lone solar light burning in the garden.
Curious, I thought, why only one? Why aren't the others shining? I walked out into the garden and touched the light with my toe to align it with the garden border. The light went out the instant I touched it.
Coincidence? Probably, and yet, such coincidences occur far too often in my life to suit me. I walked back into the kitchen thinking, What the hell, Louis?
I made coffee and took it to the lanai, where I sat and began recording bird calls in the Merlin app. I decided to accept the gift of early morning, which I don't often take advantage of--normally opting to get in the eight hours instead.
Ms. Wonder will be awake at dawn I thought. She'll have a few excellent suggestions for celebrating the rest of the day. But then I remembered that Wonder and her Wonder friend were on Oak Island, climbing the stairs to the top of the lighthouse. I don't know why they indulge in these excesses; because they can maybe?
And so I devised a plan intended to keep me away from the eclipse of the heart and perhaps rachet up the mood a notch or two. My plan was to simply enjoy being alive for the rest of the morning. I thought of journaling in The Circular Journey and that led me to this post.
By half past nine, it was clear that journaling would be nothing but a series of fits and starts. Not what I was hoping for. My mood was not going to allow me to bypass my eclipsed heart. But not to worry. I had plan number two. I cranked the starter on Wynd Horse and headed her toward the Memorial Bridge. In minutes I was turning onto Castle Street.
Feathery clouds had sneaked into the sky while I wasn't looking, and the wind had picked up since I left Waterford. Leaves rattled as they crab-walked across Castle Street and bits of airborne detritus blew about above the sidewalks. I thought if I drove slow enough I might see Piglet fly by.
No familiar faces greeted me as I ordered and took a seat by the windows but not too near the door. The coffee was superb, the music was happy, and the Princess was at peace. Considering my early rise, I suspected Amy to have fallen back asleep.
As I sipped Jah's Mercy and contemplated the easy morning coming down, I remembered the most important lesson Uma taught me:
Every day is a gift and a reason to celebrate life. ~~ Uma Maya
I smiled. My heart felt lighter. The gift of today, at this very moment, in this very place, is a protected garden, a perfect paradise, a heaven on earth, and I have all the reason I need to celebrate.
Thank you, Uma!
Thank you, Uma!