“Do stuff. be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration’s shove or society’s kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. stay eager.”
~ Susan Sontag
Cafe Dog, or Harry, as others know him, has been logging up early morning cafe-time since he was just a pup.
Even though he’s a farm dog at heart he also loves his cafe runs. We go to a cafe most mornings.
We have a favourite haunt near our post box in Brisbane for city coffee, and a couple of local cafes near the farm, all of which welcome dogs.
Harry has more friends at these places than we do. Dogs that say hello. People that come up for pats. Children that come for hugs and licks and playful games.
But this morning we hadn’t planned to go. Ben and I are tired. We’d hoped to sleep in. Or at least that was the plan.
We’ve been pre-occupied the last few days with family in hospital. It’s taken most of our time and all of our thoughts.
Truth is though, neither of us were asleep when a little dog leapt onto the bed and sat between us staring down. The only one in the whole house still asleep was Nurse Bert, who was snoring loudly.
Gently Harry shook my shoulder with his paw. Wake up, Mum. He moved over to Ben and patted his chest. Wake up, Dad.
‘Not this morning, mate,’ Ben said.
Harry jumped back up on the bed and nudged us both, smiling. Then he bounced down and stood by the door, squeaking with excitement. Cafe time.
Ben and I looked at each other.
‘Need a coffee?’ Ben asked.
‘Sure, why not?’ I said. As I said it I realised that I’d hardly eaten the day before. I was starving!
So, we find ourselves at our local cafe, and it feels good to be up so early and connecting with people.
The coffee tastes good too. Friends drop by and sit with us. A social, happy time. A bright point in our day. Good plan, Cafe Dog!
Cafe Dog was right. It’s a little space in the day just for us. Soon enough all our time will be taken again and the day will creep away. But right now we have this bright fresh morning, some breakfast, the newspapers and friends to laugh and share with.
Life can often bring unexpected stress. Or maybe right now your life is just one rolling journey of stresses.
Taking a little time for yourself is a very good plan. And time at the start of your day charges your batteries and gets you off to a positive start.
Soul nourishment. That’s what our cafe time is all about.
The snacks and good coffee are just a bonus!
Cafe Dog and I hope you take a little time for yourself today too.
Sending lots of love your way, Nicole <3 xx
This post really perked me up. 🙂 I love how Harry woke you. It made me smile to my toes. We are not allowed to bring dogs inside anywhere that has food. They have to stay outside so some places have outside tables. I knew all the dogs names and referred to the owners as so and so’s mom or dad. I have an Aunt and cousin that live in Toowoomba. Not sure how far that is from Brisbane but that’s the airport they used. Hoped to go one day if I got well enough to travel again. Who knows. Thanks for the morning cuppa and the cheer.
I love cafe trips too. I would so do it daily if I lived near one!
Thanks for this post, it brought a smile to my face. In the mornings I take ‘puppy’ Duke, our Great Pyrenees dog, for a walk in the fields behind our place, here in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, and down into the woods towards the river. I use quotation marks around the term puppy, because at 4 years of age and nearly 100 pounds Duke is hardly a puppy by most accounts, but he will always be the sweet little puppy that I remember from the first time I saw him and fell in love with him. This morning I was thinking about a nice sleep in, as the previous night had not been that restful for me. But just from the tone in his asking for our morning walk I was reminded that our morning walks really are the best part of my day. Our animal companions have so much to share and teach us about being better humans. To see the excitement of a new day, through Duke’s eyes is infectious and along the way new potential, and of course the magic of new smells along the way….what better gift could one receive? Here is to our animal companions who help us connect with the everyday magic, everyday!
I like Harry such a wise dog
Well what a wise little dog…I wish mine just wanted to have a coffee..today I woke to find all 5 chasing the neighbors sheep OMG what a mess. Its a good thing the sheep just lay down…these heelers want to chase then they just sit there and make sure the poor thing doesnot move…I better start taking them for a morning cuppa.
Oh that made me laugh, Patty. I think being Cafe Dogs would help them for sure! (((HUGS))) xoxo
The simple treasures : they sustain the soul.
What a great anecdote.
Sending you strength, peace and clarity in order to support you family.
Love Sue Girl
He is a funny boy, your Harry. They do like routine xox
Lol, this is the sort of thing I was thinking of when I said, so you have time for the important stuff, haha, great minds think alike.
He’s a very wise soul, that Harry. Xx