The outdoor items are either in, or down.

I have more water than I know I need.

I have a nifty new flashlight with 5 (5!) functions.

I have food.

The truck is parked away from the big maple.

Tonight, before bed, I will shower, in case I cannot do so tomorrow. I’ll even cut my hair.  I will be freshly shorn for Irene.

This morning, upon waking, I noticed that the birds were not singing. There was a timid hum of crickets, but no birdsong. I guess we are all holding our collective breaths.

I have a friend who has a tattoo. It says “WAIT”. She got it at a particularly rough time in her life a few years back. She says it helps to remind her that things change; that rash action is ill-advised. It also, she says, can stand for “What Am I Thinking”?

Perfect for me. Because, while I wait, my mind can turn to things.  Fearful things. I cannot control my first thought, but I can decide what’s next. I can remind myself that I have done all I can and then let the dark thoughts go. I can turn to meditation. I can pick up the phone and talk to someone. I can do the dishes. I can write a blog.

So often, action is resuscitating.  Ruminating is not. Actions, like all of those just mentioned, take me out of my wittle head (yes, think Elmer Fudd) and back into the larger, often saner, world. Even if it’s just the world of the dirty dishes. But, the dishes are grounding. They are real. And the energy I would turn inward can then be spent elsewhere, with positive results.

Right now, I choose not to dream up any drama.

Right now, I am more than just waiting: I am living in the present.

Amen.