Today was one of those mornings that started tentatively. We rose in the dark, as we have been doing lately. Hello, crisp autumn weather. It has been autumn for nearly two months but today really felt like the season had finally arrived. Frost had settled on the tops of our vehicles but hadn’t made it to the ground, where dew drenched the still-green grass. The sun, when it came, seemed reluctant. No clear sunrise this morning. Obscured by mist, the sun was a refracted blur of silver whiteness, its golden arms bleached to monochrome light.
The horse was early for his morning hay and his breath was visible as steamy warmth. He would have looked warhorse-like except that his round pony shape doesn’t lend itself to such whimsical flights of fancy. I savoured the picture he made. His head was backlit and his pricked ears were drawn sharply against the ghostly background.
An hour later, it all looked quite different. The mist had burned off. The horse had wandered away. The business of the day had begun.
The point of this, for me, is that even a morning that looks reluctant to start still goes through the motions and manages to rev up some hours later as a beautiful autumn day. I must do the same. I must begin the first major task of the day and work methodically through the list of jobs so that by nightfall all is accomplished. When I become distracted by minutiae, I will bring myself gently back to the task at hand. My head will clear. I will become focussed and attentive. No matter how slowly I start, I can make this a good day.