Grey Mornings are OK

Recently it's been classic Carlisle weather: grey! Then more grey. As I walked to work this morning I felt somewhat trapped, closed in by a horizonless sky. Fortunately it's only my physical surroundings that are dark. The real world, in spite of it all, is wonderful. Life or death. I'll take my chances with life, as death doesn't look too promising. And before leaving for work this morning I had this mundane thought: routine, morning routine, how nice indeed. So many mornings I get up at the same time, follow the exact same steps in making the coffee, then the carrot/apple juice... I don't have a problem with that, because the rest of the day is going to bring plenty of unpredictability. (Mary Oliver's poem "Morning" ends with the line, "I stand in the cold kitchen, everything wonderful around me." Yes, indeed. AND, I get wonderful company around me in the kitchen. Cats are ok, but I prefer people, especially family. It's good both ways. Two plus two is still four (beautiful!), but who knows, the laws of nature could suddenly shift tonight... All is contingent. Well, we don't know that for sure, but I prefer to live as if that were the case. The sun will come out again. Meanwhile, I can continue to be amazed by... by just about everything. Rush Limbaugh said that he thought Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of Los Angeles, "was a shoe-shine guy". Brilliant. And then we've got the "birthers". More brilliance. (In the photo, Mary Oliver.)