After waking up this morning I turned on the TV, from which, a talking head informed me that “…in three days it will be the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the day the world changed.” He then went on to explain how the world has changed since 9/11, and his monologue began to infect me; the walls of my home closed in like a folding trap.

I escaped out the patio door to breathe the fresh morning air and water the plants…

The sun was just rising; shades of peach and apricot washed over the horizon, but a few persistent, faded stars were visible in the cerulean heavens; a crystalline bead of water was cradled on a maple leaf, and a delicate vein of the leaf was magnified through the droplet; small, speckled finches whispered through the leaves of the bushes and occasionally the birds proffered a diminutive sonnet to announce dawn’s first blush; and one of our cats trilled and rubbed against my leg.

No matter what we humans do, the universe, undaunted, maintains its intrepid, benign evolution.

I went back inside, but left the patio door open. I turned off the TV, made and drank my morning coffee, and let the mood of nature seep in. Each calm, fresh breath was a miracle, and I decided to fully enjoy each inexplicable moment.