When I was a little girl, my grandmother would come visit us during the summer. Everyone says theirs is the best grandmother, but, well, mine was. She would wake before anyone else, make coffee and take her knitting outside. She sat out on the patio in the very early morning summer air, drinking her coffee, knitting and thinking about who knows what. Serenity. Every once in a while, I would wake up before everyone and sneak out to sit with Grammy. ‘Good morning, honey bunny’ she would say with a smile. She would offer her lap and I would get a cuddle, feeling loved and lucky I had this alone time. Then I would sit next to her, the two of us talking quietly, until the others got up. Not once did I think about the fact I was stealing her quiet time. Not once did she begrudge me the time. I still hold these mornings as sacred. This morning, I sat with the dog, drinking my iced mocha latte, listening to the birds get their breakfast and watching the leaves flutter in the light breeze. I smiled. I recognized that this was my self care today. And I knew Grammy was with me.
