Every day I live a miracle...

In the morning when I open my eyelids, they see

Light, color, shapes, movement

Eyelids blink without any conscious effort 

Eye lashes help keep debris from cascading into my eyeballs

Fluid bathes my glimpsers

I inhale, filling my cells with breath life

Body breathes itself 

Without any conscious effort from me

I stretch, moving my limbs and extremities 

I arise, my legs and torso hold me upright

I place one foot in front of the other

Mobilizing this amazing vehicle

I make my way to the bathroom

My body naturally relieves itself

I have a flush toilet and toilet paper inside a dwelling

Away from the elements

I don't have to find a place outside for this

I have a mirror in which to gaze and give myself a smile

I turn a knob, and water flows into a sink

I have teeth and toothbrush and toothpaste and floss

I have a hand towel that hangs conveniently over a small towel rack

I make my way to the bedroom windows and open the blinds

I raise one of the blinds to receive a full view 

My glimpsers see the roof on our garage with its spinning air vents

I take in our big green backyard and the woods behind the grassy incline

Oaks, dogwoods, mimosas, pines, walnut trees, redbuds, and all sorts of plant life

The wooden bench at the edge of the woods that my son built 

I breathe in the view

Sometimes I see hawks, vultures, crows, songbirds, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer

My ears hear the cry or song or buzz of winged ones

Occasionally I see the neighbor's grandchildren playing in our big backyard

Which they have named "the meadow"

My heart smiles

My body then turns to see rainbows dance on the opposite wall

From the sunlight that catches the small crystal 

I hung in the bedroom window over 20 years ago

Reminding me of Joni Mitchell's song, Cheslea Morning

I make my bed, a comfy bed which supports me every night

I unclothe from my sleep shirt and choose my reclothing apparel

I have an abundance of choice and can wear what I feel 

I intentionally choose my earrings for the day

Every day I live a miracle

Every day I am a miracle

Are not we all?

Billions of miracles across this blue marble 

Swirling through the cosmos

Some days we win

Some days we lose

Some days we float

May the float sustain us

Through the high tides and the low

Every day we learn

July 14, 2026

Me

~*~*~

My view is a bit different from Joni's, but the essence is the same...

Chelsea Morning by Joni Mitchell

Remembering the Answering Machine

After being away for over eight hours,

Hubby steers the car into our driveway. 

To our delight two bucks are grazing in the backyard.

They look up momentarily to check us out,

then return to their grazing. 

Some ten minutes later, Hubby and I enter our home.

As we ascend the short staircase I say,

"Remember when we used to come home 

and check the answering machine?"

We both chuckle.

But immediately, I feel a longing ...

For more simplicity

Less information overload

More spaciousness

Less constant-contact ability

I think we humans and other creatures

are not designed for these intrusions.

Oh Carol, you're just too negative

regarding progress.

I guess it depends on how one defines "progress." 

As I read from a book,

my smart phone sits nearby.

Sometimes I need to look up a definition.

So Carol, why not pull out a dictionary?

Dictionaries are quite heavy

for my weakened arms and hands.

So, I web search a word on my phone.

But five to ten minutes later I catch myself

down a digital rabbit hole.

At least I catch myself and am able to climb out

into the open, into spaciousness, into the senses.

My phone is not the problem.

In and of itself, it is innocent.

Its designers, however, design it to catch us.

I choose to open the gate. 

And then, I get caught in a thicket,

like Br'er Rabbit.

Eventually, I accepted the answering machine.

Eventually, I accepted email.

Eventually, I purchased a smart phone.

Eventually, I checked out the Pattern Engine, 

also known as Artificial Intelligence.

I named my smart phone Uhuru,

in honor of the communications officer in the original Star Trek.

Each night, I power her down with a thank you

and tuck her into a glove which I place in a drawer

down the hall from the bedroom.

She likes it there.

~*~

Here's a poem I wrote 27 years ago, in 1999...

Please note, that I now check my email most every day...

Ode to Email

Twas a middle-aged lady who lived in a house.
Her functions were many; she wasn't a souse.
She was secretary, cook, cab driver too,
activities planner, home maintenance guru.
Doctor, nurse, janitorial clerk,
counselor, teacher, overseer of work.
Just a few of the functions for which she stayed perked.

Then to add to her list? The computer pimple.
Pop ups and ads, wrinkles and dimples!
Upgrade! Upgrade! It makes your life simple!
But beware of viruses; you need that program too!
And identity theft; so your name is who?
Got too much spam? Pay more and it's through!

First there was junk mail to take up her time
and now more info to boggle the mind.
This middle-aged woman stepped back and breathed deep,
"It's time to make simple this communication heap."

She decided, yes, her email to keep
but now only checks it every two weeks.
So, if her attention you immediately need

please call her by phone to get sooner heed.

From my Notes app...

I recently found the entries below as I was clearing out my Notes app.

For a little context...

When I received my 37th lumbar epidural in January 2022, I told my neurologist, 
"The epidurals don't seem to be working as well."

He replied, "Well, that's not good."

I asked, "What will we do if they stop working?"

There was a pause, and then he responded, "I don't know. But we're not going to think about that right now."

I received my 38th epidural in mid-April 2022. 

Unknown to me or my neurologist at the time, it would be last.

On April 28, 2022, I landed in the hospital for 3-1/2 days with two good-sized blood clots, one in each lung.

The last note below was written on 4/27/22. 

Forutnately (though sometimes I wonder), I lived to see another birthday...

And then another, and another, and another...

~*~*~

2/15/22

My cerebral juice is fluid & nourishing

My nerve roots are open & receiving  

My peripheral nerves are conducting & regenerating 

My nervous system is happy & content, strong & intelligent

Turtle power

~*~*~

3/21/22

Why am I here?

    Because everything else is.

No, I mean the purpose.

    That is the purpose, to learn about your kin.

My family?

    Yes, the moon, stars...mammals. 

~*~*~

4/11/22 

Balance doesn't mean all points are even

I balance on my bicycle 

Riding the terrain

Ups & downs, smooths & ridges, rocks & gravel

Dirt, holes, crevices 

I ride it all balancing on my bicycle 

Like a ship balancing on the waters 

Smooth, rough, calm, windy 

The captain navigates

~*~*~

4/27/22

Earlier today, I thought:

Oh, I want to get new shoes with my birthday discount. 

But I don't have that kind of energy right now. 

I'll have another birthday next year...

And if I don't, I won't need any shoes.