Today’s photo captures an ordinary scene with Ringo relaxing in a sunbeam while I eat lunch nearby. It’s like nothing ever happened, until you notice his shaved belly. A reminder of the urgent situation that had him headed for the veterinary hospital in the middle of the night two weeks ago as well as how quickly things can go south in life.
Earlier this week, before Ringo’s fur even had a chance to grow back, another emergency hijacked an otherwise mundane day, with my husband headed for the hospital with chest pain. I was incredulous as he relayed he was being admitted for an overnight stay and further testing, not even two weeks after Ringo’s admission to the hospital. Apparently, when a middle-aged guy walks into a hospital with chest pain, they take it pretty seriously. Fortunately, it was a false alarm, there was no heart attack, and the cardiologist assured him he is not at risk for any cardiac issues.
While troubling, this was much easier to endure than Ringo’s incident because I was able to talk to my husband and get constant updates. Even the “no update” update is helpful in these scenarios. This was disruptive, but not agonizing. However, it had me waiting again, and unable to focus on anything else until he was released.
I now had a second nudge from the Universe in less than two weeks to be more mindful about how I’m spending my time. This is something I think about frequently and I have written about before, in the wake of Charlie’s passing. As I shared in that post, I’m consciously aware of the precious nature of each day and try to be both thoughtful and productive with my time. Yet figuring out exactly how to spend that precious time is not always easy to do.
It takes focus and effort to live with such intention. I hold it as a goal and often have to redirect myself there, after getting lost in the tension between being productive and being present. And sometimes the Universe redirects me there, as it has twice in the past two weeks.
Today, I’m in a more mindful state and enjoying the simplicity of everyday life. And happy that the only thing I’m waiting on now is Ringo’s fur to grow back. 😂
