Brimming

First of all - 6:30 is waaaaay too early for me to awaken on a Saturday morning!

WHAT is going on here?!

I wave the white flag and meander into the kitchen to make coffee......

What's that noise?

Oh my!  Are you kidding me?!

R-A-I-N!  
R-A-I-N?
R-A-I-N!

After all these days of scorched, crinkly grass and bent over plants, TODAY it rains?  Oh, No! I have some help coming to assist with our broken fence TODAY!

This has become a very serious issue lately, as my beloved Duke is as curious and mischievious as a dog can get.  It's dangerous.  It's worrying me.  There are thick woods.  There is a major road nearby.  There are other dogs and critters and people shooting in the woods (another story for another day)! There is ME hobbling all around the neighbor crying and calling for him.  Lather, rinse, repeat, multiply by 100, and you get the message.

So, the long awaited fence repair day is finally here, and now it is POURING outside?!

M-E-R-C-Y!

Now he is wanting to go out there - scratching at the door.  Great.  Just G-R-A-N-D! Everyone is asleep and I am in my pajamas.

*white flag*

I'll admit to mumbling a few choice words under my breath.  For crying out loud!!!!!

"OK, Boy, but you are going to have to wait until the coffee's done!"

I step outside, with him on the leash -
consider putting my shoes on, and then decide, why ruin my shoes?
Standing on the porch, I notice all of my little flowers and plants - dripping.  They seriously look delighted.  Relieved.  Grateful.
My watering bucket and some of the planters are literally spilling over.

"OK, Buddy.  Hurry up.  Stay close to the front porch so Mama doesn't get drenched."

heh.  meh.  NOT ON YOUR LIFE.

What makes me think a curious dog is going to want to stay within 25 feet of the front porch?  I coulda had a V-8 for that matter!

*white flag*

I give in -
walk the length of the sidewalk -
out into the driveway.
The air is thick.  Hot.  What's new?
Steam is rising all about my feet.
I am wishing I had my camera.
By now, I'm officially getting soaked.

*white flag*

I walk over to the side yard to see if that will appeal to him. *chuckles*

Something is different.  There is no resounding, crunchy, dead noise in response to my footsteps.  There are clumps of dirt and grass literally sticking to my bare feet.  One piece of my "were-bangs" is clinging to my temple; the tip of it pokes me in the eye.  Suddenly a wave of embarrassment rolls over me.  What if someone sees me out here with this wet nightgown clinging to my body?  I look around.  (As if I could actually DO something about it if they were peeking out the window.)  No lights on.  Nothing moving, except a few branches on the trees.  The sail on my temple bell chimes is slowly swirling - not enough to make so much as a single sound - slowly, quietly, gently, stirring...like a spoon in cake batter.

An unexpected wave of cool relief and release rolls over my head and trickles down my shoulders.  I breathe in the scent of this glorious sustenance literally pouring over me from the skies.  So clean.  So new.  So cooooooooooool.

Soak it up.
Breath it in.
Capture. this. moment.

By now, I simply cannot resist walking up the hill of our long driveway.  Funny how I no longer care if anyone sees me.  My buddy is soaking wet and having a grand ole time, sniffing around and trudging through the mud.  Clearly, this is a relief for him too.  He is in desperate need of a cut.  And his thick, wooly coat has really been bothersome this last week or so with the intense heat and humidity we've had.  He seems so happy.  The plants and trees seem so happy.  My feet literally feel happy.  My heart feels happy.  Yeah.  Light.  Cleansed.  Content.

Oh!  I forgot about the fence project.  Oh, yeah.  I'm supposed to be frustrated right now, aren't I?

I can't help but grin and snicker at my nincompoop Self as I head back to the front door.  Wow.  Whoa.  This is how we get soooooooooo wrapped up in the tangled web of our busy lives, isn't it?  So set in our schedules.  So angry when things don't go according to OUR plan.

Duke and I sit on the front porch.  He lays down, and just watches the rain.  I rock in the rocker and watch too.

The fence is broken.
And can't be fixed yet.
Maybe I just need to surrender.
Wave the white flag.
Walk the dog on his leash for a few more days.
IN THE RAIN.
IN THE SUNSHINE.
OR IN THE COMBO MEAL.

I feel different now.
I go to sip my coffee, and realize that the rain has splashed in it and cooled it off too.
My reading glasses, which had been shoved ontop my head, are splattered.
I dry my feet, arms, and hair with a towel.
I try to dry the dog.  He runs away.
I shake my head and chuckle to my Self.

I sit on the edge of the bed, and notice the breeze from the ceiling fan meeting my dampened skin. Goose bumps promptly arise.

And, I think to myself -
What a GLORIOUS way to start the day.
There is not a sound to behold inside this house. 
But if I stop -
hold my breath for a moment -
I can hear the raindrops splashing on the window pane.

Gentle reminders.

As if to whisper......

"Yes, it's true.
We sometimes go away for a while.
Maybe a long while.
But, we are still here.
To soothe
to cool
to cleanse
and comfort.
You don't always have to see!

Simply close your eyes -
and

remember."

 "brimming"