A Morning Lean

The sun peers in through the window like a child playing peek-a-boo. Its light is sneaky but warm. Its morning rays are nothing but a gift to our neighborhood, and against the pale blue sky, it is magical on this early Monday morning.

Gypsy, my roommate’s cat, leans over the windowsill. Her nose is pressed against the glass window like that of a child’s as she stares into her favorite store at Christmas. It is as if Gypsy is trying to lean herself into the earth on the other side, thinking the glass is an optional barrier, easy to defeat. Her white-as-snow front paws dance around the edge as she takes every ounce of outside in. Her ears perk up at the sound of the train passing by and her head bobs back and forth like a toy ship in the bathtub.

Gypsy is beyond curious about what's outside that window.
I think she could sit up there for hours.

This cat has so many layers. Sometimes she bites your fingers when you try and pet her back. Out of instinct, you shake your hand obnoxiously to ease the pain while she slips away and hides. Her teeth are tiny but sharp. They curve in at the top like mountain peaks.

Lately, though, Gypsy has been coming into my room more, just to say hello and look around. She can be kind and gentle when she wants to be, and I think I have gained her trust a little bit more now.

And the way she leans at the windowsill, her eyes scanning the pavement, I am drawn to her peculiar ways. Gypsy is so in awe of the world, just like me.

I lean over the windowsill at the edge of my heart most mornings. I look into the day with questions, eager to explore, eager to play. All senses are engaged and activated as I blink my way into a new day, my alarm announcing the time with urgency and demand.

What’s next? My eyes ask as I lean over my heart's windowsill and let my face be warmed by the sun. Where can I explore and dig in a little bit? Maybe I will find new places to hide today, new places to run.

I am eager for a new day, a new beginning.

Perhaps Gypsy and I have more in common than we think.