Mindful
by: Mary Oliver
Every day
I see or I hear
something
that more or less
kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle
in the haystack
of light.
It is what I was born for--
to look, to listen,
to lose myself
inside this soft world--
to instruct myself
over and over
in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,
the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant--
but the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,
the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help
but grow wise
with such teachings
as these--
the untrimmable light
of the world,
the ocean's shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grace?
It has been a pretty sedate holiday for me. I slept in. No parades to attend or fireworks displays to "ooh" and "aah" over. Instead, I took my puppy for a walk, watched Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, read some, wrote some, and had a barbecue with my family. Hot dogs, bratwurst, watermelon, pistachio pudding, and corn on the cob.
If that sounds like a boring way to celebrate Independence Day, sorry not sorry. It was slow, quiet, and perfectly ordinary. A Mary Oliver kind of day where I experienced satisfaction in the small things--the sun in maple leaves, rumble of garbage truck outside my window, buzz saw of cicada.
I rarely have time to be this mindful of the world's tiny miracles. Pretty much, my days are races from one event to another. Little chance to slow down and count daisy petals or play board games with my kids.
Early in the evening, it started to rain and thunder. God's fireworks. It lasted only a little while. And now, I'm sitting on my couch, scribbling this blog post in my journal, sipping Diet Mountain Dew. Like I said--S. E. D. A. T. E.
I don't always need momentous to enjoy myself. In fact, as I've gotten older, I find boring days much more my style. On boring days, I can read a good book or compose a new poem or just listen to the crickets singing their nighttime choruses. As Oliver says, boring allows me "to instruct myself / over and over / in joy, / and acclamation."
Saint Marty has reveled in the freedom of this Independence Day to do absolutely nothing and be joyful.
