#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

“Today you will say things you can predict and other things you could never imagine this minute. Don't reject them, let them come through when they're ready, don't think you can plan it al out. This day will never, no matter how long you live, happen again. It is exquisitely singular. It will never again be exactly repeated.”
― Naomi Shihab Nye

This morning my body said, after a week of declining: let’s swim. I drove to the pool with the dogs and swam a happy half an hour. Then I took the dogs out of the car to walk a trail that leads to a beautiful meadow. A cold wind blew and the sun shone. Lots in bloom, I felt so cheerful and energetic. Until I met the skunk in the middle of the trail. She/he sprayed me before I saw it coming. Just sat there with its tail up. Really? Dogs behind me. I walked a few paces in denial: nothing happened, right? A near miss? Until I really couldn’t deny it. I stank. Now what? Busy day ahead. A client call to get home to and I had set aside this day to write an article on a deadline. Well, I decided to walk home rather than return to my car so I wouldn’t pollute my car. And it was a pleasant lovely walk through two meadows, over the trestle bridge, and both dogs followed me over the river without a panic attack. Home, I left the dogs and my clothes outside and made a special batch of some potion I found on the Internet and after two batches and two showers I seemed to be my normal scent. My client canceled, quite helpfully. I worked on my article and met my deadline and let the dogs in after I figured out that they were not sprayed. And then I walked back to get my car. Frank was surprised on the phone to hear me so cheerful. But, of course I was! The dogs didn’t need baths and I no longer stunk and my article was done!