Ceremony

"Make ceremonies out of the air and breathe upon them."--CM

The other night I trimmed a dog's nails for the first time in years. I was awkward with the clippers, making the already nervous animal even more uncertain. Poor thing. As she watched me fumble my grip and double check her quick, she moved her head away from me and panted harder and looked everywhere but into my eyes.

I heard her. I felt her fear. So I calmed down. I stopped making that weird air-sucky sound everyone makes when they're nervous and I stopped hesitating and I held her paw and I cut her nails.

It can be that simple. Like Cormac Maccarthy's gorgeous, perfect writing--echoes of Hemingway with just a breath more poetry--like letting yourself feel something with all your senses. It's the easiest thing, it's the best thing, it's trust and faith and a kept promise to yourself. And we do it everyday--with each inhale we suspend our disbelief and look, there, the exhale arrives, and with its arrival we relax and drop our shoulders and give thanks for that simple, ceremonious cycle.

We get so caught up in the fringes of what matters. In the little annoyances and the perceived slights. But oh my god, look around: do you love someone? Did something make you laugh today? Did you notice a couple so in love that the rest of the world slipped away? Those simple, breathtaking things are complete miracles. Let them happen to you. Breathe. Love.