There is a fog this morning which has muted all of the colors outdoors and seems to be muffling the sounds of normal early day comings and goings. My husband left early this morning for an appointment and the kids are still peacefully slumbering in their beds. The apartment is particularly quiet but for the purring of the cat who is overjoyed to have an early morning companion supplying body warmth and company.

I'm feeling a calm I haven't felt in quite a while. The pace of our lives of late has been overwhelming. I am working so much that my exhaustion and moodiness stemming from too little sleep makes me less than pleasant to be around. The stress of the fact that the children's mother is keeping the kids from us too frequently has taken a toll over the last several months. And the search for a house, recent bidding on one, and last night's phone call that our offer was accepted leaves me with mixed emotions of jubilation and terror.

This week we are vacationing, which may be defined as not working. We're relaxing, taking some family time, and not jamming our schedules with appointments and plans. So, with the kids sleeping, the cat purring, and the house quiet, my brain has been able to take a much needed and infrequently realized hiatus from constant worrying and pondering and thinking. The fog has served to blanket the frenzy of my thoughts and has forced me to just sit and be. To just enjoy the moment, to breathe, and to realize that this too shall pass. Sometimes life forces you to pause, to take a breather, to take in the majestic world around you, to see through all the crap to the beauty of any given day. And for that, and this fog, I am grateful.