Feels good to be alive and aware.

I try to never get too used to my environs. Because then I tend not to see what's happening around me. Maybe because I consider it too routine. Too every-dayish. I've seen it before. Time and again. But when I consciously look, I see something new. Virtually every day. Maybe it's something that has always been there. But I never noticed before. Now I look out the sliding glass door. To the railing on the deck. And I see a line of eight stones and small rocks. And a birdhouse. Looks a bit artistic. I could take a photograph. And pass it off as art. Hang it on the wall. My black cat, Chenuska, is next to me. On a cushion. On my desk. Sleeping. Contentedly. Makes me feel relaxed. If I hadn't just exercised my powers of observation, I wouldn't have noticed. And now, I hear the chimes from the clock. Nine. Yes, it's 9 o'clock in the morning. So many times, I haven't heard the chimes. Oblivious of it all. Because I wasn't listening. Unconscious on my feet. And here I am writing. About what I am seeing and hearing. At this very moment. Yes, I'm making myself more aware of what's around me. Feels good to be alive and aware. --Jim Broede