I am grateful:
For the soothing chimes that woke me slowly
For the creaky floor that woke my son as I was tiptoeing through the living room
For my son’s stentorian bellow—“MOM!”
For the cheek, warm and sweet-smelling from sleep, that he allowed me to kiss
For this morning’s cat, Fergus, who swished and swirled around me as I got ready
For my phone, loaded with interesting audiobooks and podcasts for the drive
For the stillness and silence of the morning
For curiosity, which led me to an audiobook on “interpersonal neurobiology” at 6:15 in the morning
For sunrise over the Plains–lavender, violet, mauve, orchid fading to pink
For the deer that looked twice before she crossed the road
For the fifty miles I drove without seeing another car
For the mama cow on the wrong side of the fence who stood beside the highway, vigorously sampling the different grasses
For the baby calf curled in the grass at her side
For my phone again, because it knew just what to do when I Googled “How do I report a cow on the highway in South Dakota”
For highway patrol dispatch, who promised to get a vehicle on site right away “to get that mama and her baby rounded up”
For open space and big skies in every direction
For strong dark coffee
For the silence of the office before anyone else arrives at work
For this quiet hour to write
Today’s Slice was inspired by The Sassy Bibliophile’s post, Grateful.
the dirigible plum 
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