THE SHIFT

Well, it's been about 147 years since our Friday art + story. I can't believe how it slips me by and just how easily I skirt around it each week. But here we are, once again. :) This one's based from the quick drawing I did a few weeks ago, and I think of this song when I look at it.

The Shift:

She awoke in the morning’s early hours to the sounds of the wind stirring through the trees and the dog violently scratching its ears at the foot of the bed.

Sleepily, she slid her legs from under the comforter onto the cold tile floor, fumbled in the darkness for the handles on the dresser, and opened the heavy drawer, searching for a soft and warm sweater to help stifle the cold. After a few moments, she felt the fuzzy fabric on her fingertips, and she pulled it over her head of big, messy hair. She felt her way a few feet over toward the tiny creature still scratching itself in the opaque shadows. Kneeling down, she gently rubbed the dog’s ears until its legs slowly descended from their clawing motion. She reached for the dog’s blanket, pulled it onto the comforter on top of the bed, lifted the animal onto the bed, and then slid back under the sheets.

Her husband stirred beside her and the now completely comfortable dog, scooting closer toward her and eventually wrapping an arm around her frame. He always managed to put all the weight of his arm on her stomach, making it a little difficult to breathe, but she still loved the feeling of his closeness.

She guessed she would again have trouble finding her dreams again and would likely stare at the dark ceiling fan whirring above them for the next hours. Her mind was bound to wrap itself around every detail of their life that was uncertain and eminent. Even so, she would revel at the beauty of the sky slowly lightening through the window, from its dark smoky black hues, to its cloudy navy, and eventually to its gray-blue gradated with deep pink. They would start the day together, just as they did on any usual morning. Despite the shift that was waiting to greet them, she promised herself not to let go of here and now.

***

Hope you guys enjoy the weekend! We're super excited with a cold front that swept through last night, and I get to meet up with Clay downtown later tonight to hear the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto at the symphony. Being a violinist himself, he is absolutely beside himself with anticipation, and since I grew up with a family that had two-hour dinners every night while listening to classical music, I'm not any less excited.