Start off with a smile

I lay in bed this morning, in the quiet before the children wake up. Just listening, I could tell it was snowing. There is something magical about snow. It's like a blanket of peace that lays quiet over the world. I lay there imagining myself in a forest, the only human around. Snow is falling and the boughs of the trees hang low with the weight. The world is silent and still. But then I realize, it is not still. I hear the scampering of tiny feet and the windrush under wing. The animals are about, living their days, knowing the seasons intimately. I am both at wonder and jealous of them.

As I imagine this I am reminded of a verse I read recently in Thich Nhat Hanh's Present Moment, Wonderful Moment:

Waking up this morning, I smile.
Twenty-four brand new hours are before me.
I vow to live fully in each moment
and to look at all beings with the eyes of compassion.


On this day, I have achieved this. I have started with a smile and have a renewed compassion for all beings.