My step-dad got me this Mary Oliver book for Christmas. 

Dog Songs is a collection of the poet’s works about or involving various pooches. And she was clearly a dog person.

I like to read a poem or two from this volume in a sitting every so often, as I do with most of my poetry books. These are infused with the same beauty and soul as her non-canine works. And so much love.

Those moments are simple. An expression on a jowly face. A forest grave for a long-loved animal. Passing our days with creatures we love.

Back on our home front, there is a pandemic. There is uncertainly in spades. Yet, we are not locked in our house. We have a yard, fresh air, and a neighborhood for walking. Things are pretty good. Our family enjoys comparative stability and privilege during this quarantine compared to most people worldwide.

Just the same, we are getting a lot of that quality time with the kids. Mostly in confined spaces. 

One might suffer a level of fatigue over the Groundhog Day nature of our days. Certainly, this one has. 

I have to remind myself, these days are for more than just passing time. They are part of our total. Part of our sum of all days we have before us. Without promise. Without guarantee.

So I focus on the plain moments. The life moments. And I try to look at my kids and not through them as we play and talk and build and read. There is plenty to occupy one’s grownup mind if we stare at the news and mainline the internet into our brains. And I do this. 

But, I also snap out of it. I make the effort to absorb these moments. Because they are infused with good. They are not just infused with life, they are life.

Ours together.

Ours in these moments.