One one-thousand, two one-thousand

Reading from Wednesday, November 13, 2013 yoga class

From the book: "Living a life of gratitude" by Sara Wiseman

You hear it before you see it.  Hidden in the tall grasses, the frogs begin their collective croak.  The wind rises in accompaniment, rustling in the trees.  And the birds!  They break out in solos worthy of a stint on Broadway, each out-calling the other in trips and trails of song.

Day is done.  The sun is setting.  They know before we do.  But oddly, on this perfect late summer day, when the sun is just setting across the mountains; even now it's falling, falling, falling so quickly you can only count a second or two.

One one-thousand, two one-thousand.

Even now, the moment you notice the light is beginning to change, the moment you look to see the sun is setting, you notice it is setting farther to the left than it was the day before.

You have not moved.  The planet has.  The frogs croak a melodic, hushed mantra in steady beat with each other.  It is so rhythmic, you forget to hear it, until it's all you can hear.  The sun sets, and you forget to notice, until it's sinking so quickly you catch your breath until it disappears.

One one-thousand, two one-thousand. 

The most beautiful things in life happen so quickly.  A second, two seconds is sometimes as much time as we have to look up, open our eyes, and notice the beauty that is around us. 

It is the gift of a summer's night--the sun sinking down into the mountains like lovers folding into embrace.  It is a gift for you, if you are there for the noticing.

               Breathing.   Listening.  Watching with your full heart, not just your eyes.