Right Now

circle of light; in a friend's living room (Diana+, Fuji Pro 400H)

Right now the time is 3:27 a.m.

Right now, I'm thinking about friends across oceans who are having their second cup of morning coffee or taking a late afternoon walk on the beach; friends in my own time zone who will be getting up in less than two hours; friends in the middle of this continent who are fast asleep; and friends on the west coast who may have just gone to bed.

Right now, through the open window I hear a bird chirping. He's been at it for hours. For awhile others had joined in, but now it's just his lone tweet over and over again. A quick online search tells me that perhaps this is a mockingbird, or some other bird defending his territory.

Right now, also through the open window, I can smell the pleasant stink of a skunk. I let it linger for awhile, and then I lit a lavender scented candle to take the edge off.

Right now, my husband and two grey cats are fast asleep. I wonder if anyone else in my neighborhood is awake to hear that nocturnal bird.

Right now is the best I've felt all day. A gloom of ennui weighed me down today, which I combatted by decluttering my house and studio. Now I can sit in my considerably less cluttered studio, in the quiet of night, by candlelight, and reconnect with the muse. I feel her coming back to me, and I am so grateful.

Right now, I am starting to feel sleepy. Soon I will wash my face, brush my teeth, take out my contacts, and crawl into bed. I'll do these ordinary, daily rites while a midnight bird stands his ground and a striped skunk skulks or scurries through the neighborhood.

Comments

[Jolie Guillebeau]

I looked at the photo before I read the caption and thought-- Look, Jenna has a chair just like mine, oh and a lamp just like mine! And a wedding picture just like mine? Then I read the caption. :) I astound myself with my grasp of the obvious.

[Charlotte Rains Dixon]

One of my favorite things to ponder is what people the world over are doing and how many of them are doing it right at this very moment. For instance, how many people are making love at this exact instant? And of them, how many of them are in hotel rooms? How many babies are being born? How many people dying, families grieving, friends saying goodbye, students studying...you get the drift.

[Julie]

I'm familiar with 3:27 a.m. My muse, like yours, likes to pay a visit when everyone else is asleep. It used to distress me to suddenly wake up at what felt like th middle of the night, but now I know it's because something juicy wants to come through. Time to take dictation.