“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
