year of fun

This morning the house was quiet. My husband went to work early, dropping the dog at daycare on his way. I got up, made my way to our kitchen, which is always full of sunlight, and decided today was the day to try herbal tea.

I have always been a coffee drinker, however I gave that up earlier this summer as part of a health cleanse, and had not, as of yet, replaced it with anything. So I looked through the sample k-cups that came with the Keurig and chose an Orange Spice Herb Tea. It brewed in about 15 seconds (thanks Keurig) and I sat not in front of the Today Show but at the kitchen table looking out the window.

This window faces west and overlooks our back alley, but somehow it gets a lot of light. The building across the alley has one of those wooden fire escape/balcony combos that are all over Chicago. (Why don’t we have one?) Each of the four units I could see has a lovely little table and chairs set. One has hanging flowers, one potted plants, one a grill and one a pumpkin. This building also has a fenced in area above their garage. While I sipped my tea, I wondered about what could be within that area. A basketball court? A garden? An animal sanctuary? A pool? It’s probably just a party spot with tables and chairs but a girl can dream right?

In the whole time I sat and sipped and looked, I did not see one person. No one was out sitting on their lovely little chairs at their lovely little tables. No one was shooting hoops, tending to their begonias, setting out carrots for the rabbits or swimming laps (at least not that I could see). It was peaceful, zen-like and a much needed moment of solace before going out in to the world.