Asteya, Non Stealing. This morning I am practicing paying attention to this present moment. Suddenly my life has become incredibly full and busy, and without the slightest hesitation I have allowed my anxieties for the future to rob me of my connection to this present moment. Leaving in its place just a sense of breathless agitation.

Walking my dog, Luke. Paying attention to his cute, hip-swaggering gate. Noticing the heron by the lake, the moist peppery smell of the woods beside the path. Still, my thoughts drift, the dog wanders off. Suddenly, a wild, feral cat leaps out from among the bushes with a howl to challenge silly Luke who is snuffling too close to the cat’s lair – and we both jump back, startled.

Like a small, furry, ferocious reminder: Hey, wake up! Wake up to the unexpected wildness of what is happening right now.

We continue on our walk, both a little more attentive to the present (and for Luke, the possibility of more cat ambushes). I remember the line to an old hymn (and Cat Steven’s song) “God’s re-creation of the new day”, and for this moment at least I reclaim my place at the center of my own life as it is unfolding here and now, within the miracle of this newly created day.