This time of year the stars seem more pronounced in their appearance and influence.  Our sun, the nearest star, moves quickly across the sky, and then darkness comes.  Last night, I was outside watching for shooting stars, when one flashed brightly and appeared to almost swoop into my blanketed lap.

Sound carries this time of year and I hear the leaves fall.

I’ve been buying eggs from Vital Farms, a coordinated collection of family farms.  From their information on the hens, I read “Henku” and peruse  a photo of “Clever Carla” finding a worm. Even hens sleep in on these cozy winter days, rising at 7, rather than 4.  We are influenced by light as we turn tenderly to care, self-care, and compassion for those around us on this earth we share.

My guidance these days is to rest the mind on the breath, as I consider what a hen might say in a haiku.

Nestled in winter,

Sun softens, beckoning, still

Quick light lays inside.