The Knowing Gray

The Knowing Gray

6 o'clock in the morning and all is well! 

The sleeping world is at contrasts with a non-sleeper like me. I can't sleep harder or longer, but the world is wise. The gray haze leaves a soft glaze on the morning, softening it into reflection and the will to stay in bed.

"There's so much to do," my body says.

But the gray responds,"Take a break. Sit and take your time with a warm water bottle on your tummy while watching out the window. This is your time with yourself...breathe in the gray."

You see, gray isn't always bad. It's just a blanket so you can snooze, take it easy, put your feet up, let your hair down, let it all out, shake your wet hair and dry it off with a fuzzy, soft towel...like the beach towel you dry off with after a long swim at the sea, picking the sand out from between your toes...

The gray could be in the shards of a long, hot shower, when you take your time not caring about the knock on the door, the phone ringing, or the ding of messages, all the stress of motion, of too much commotion or chaos, of your shouting brain, of the clutch of your shoulders and stomach and the aching arch of your feet...

None of this matters in the gray. The gray is what covers all of that so that you let it settle. The gray is that space under the covers that releases you so that you're ready to get up the next day.

The gray is that in-between space we all need but are afraid to admit we need. It's where we breathe. It's the breath itself.

Photo: Photo by Amber Janssens: https://www.pexels.com/photo/fluffy-cat-lying-on-blanket-while-looking-at-camera-6897132/

Text: Kristen Mastromarchi