I love the days between Christmas and New Year’s, when it feels rest and reflection are admirable goals for the week. I’ve spent plenty of time chill-axing: a little reading, a lot of sofa time and an embarrassing amount of binge watching Kevin Costner and Yellowstone with sweet Stella draped across my lap. I’ve done some wandering, too, shuffling through the house in bedroom shoes looking at all the putting away, cleaning out, and organizing I could be doing that I simply am not.

Yesterday, though, I did have a moment of ambition. I opened the back door and took a spin around the yard, an action that required putting on shoes and a coat*. Then I stepped into the studio thinking for a very short second I might spend the afternoon writing, painting, making something pretty. But very quickly I decided I was far too exhausted from the above* and, instead, just stood at the window to watch the birds. There was a Chickadee at the feeder and a Mockingbird at the birdbath, where up and down he dipped, collecting icy sips of water from the few spots that were not frozen.

That’s when something at the Bluebird house caught my eye. Was that a little beak sticking out?

In December???

Thank heavens my camera was right at hand, where it sure enough revealed this cute little thing, all tucked up inside, warm and cozy and not doing too much of nothing.

We looked at each other, understanding.

Rest. Relax. Repeat.

It is the great joy of this week of retreat.

~ XXOO ~

30 Days of Joy

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