Don’t go back to sleep ~ Rumi

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don’t go back to sleep.

You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep.

People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.

The door is round and open.
Don’t go back to sleep.

~ Rumi

I woke up this morning thinking about the 13th century poet Rumi. I snuggled in bed waiting for the alarm to ring. What time is it? Should I go back to sleep? Don’t go back to sleep.

I got up, sauntered around, eventually to the refrigerator for something to eat and drink. The foods seemed to stare back at me as the cool air hit my toes. I stood there blankly for a moment. Don’t go back to sleep.

I went over to the computer at my home office desk. I looked for something to do, something to complete, some sense of accomplishment to start my day. Time runs away as I venture into answering emails and the rabbit hole of the Internet. Don’t go back to sleep.

I get ready to leave for the office. What will I do today? Will it be just like yesterday? Don’t go back to sleep.

I pause on the front porch. Queen butterflies, speckled brown and white, flutter on the purple vervain flowers in the dappled sunlight. A gentle breeze brushes my cheek and echoes on the wooden wind chimes. I take a moment to be present and connect to the world. The alarm goes off. Don’t go back to sleep.

Statue of Rumi, 23 meters high, in Buca, İzmir, Turkey

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