Today I Did Not...

Today's Prompt: Write about what you did not notice today. This is a good exercise for getting in touch with one's own or one's character's longing, with desire, with loss.
(Reprinted by permission all rights reserved (c) C.M. Mayo "Giant Golden Buddha and 364 More 5 Minute Writing Exercises"  www.cmmayo.com/d5mwe.html)

Today I did not see the soft glow of the sunrise as it lit up the low horizon beyond the farmer's fields, slowly making its way over the mountains. I did not watch the long shadows in our pasture shrink away from the light, the horses blinking and tossing their manes, awake long before the sun. I did not see the sunlight creeping in between the cracks of the curtains and falling in slivers onto the carpeted floor. I did not hear our cat prowling around our closed bedroom door, mewling for food and swishing her tail. I was too deeply asleep to notice my husband stir and wake up, his hand briefly caressing my cheek before he crawled out of bed. I did not hear the rumble of his truck as he backed out of the driveway on his way to work. It wasn't until I finally opened my eyes and saw the sun high in the sky that I realized I had not noticed the emptiness he left behind, and wished I had. 

What did you not notice today?

The Brown-Eyed Girl