....watching the sun rise

Yogis,
When was the last time you sat with the sun to watch her rise? I had the pleasure of doing just that these last four mornings.

I arrived at the beach house on Wednesday to meet with workers who are going to replace our kitchen countertop. That night as I was setting my alarm and visualizing the morning I decided, why not? It had probably been a year since I witnessed the beginning of a new day and the weather forecast showed clear skies.

Alarm goes off at 6:10. Clothes on, Phoebe fed, phone in pocket. Out the door by 6:25. It’s still dark but there is that nearness of day you can feel. Houses silent as we run by. No cars on the road. No planes in the sky. We head through the neighborhoods and onto the beach path, which only two weeks ago was thigh high with snow. Scrub bushes surround the path, and my shoes press fresh prints in the sand next to those of both humans and dogs who had passed through here last night.

We crest the dune and there’s a catch in my breath.  As the path widens and opens to the beach it’s as if I am being welcomed. Open arms. Layers of color hint at what’s to come. Something big is about to happen.

It’s 6:38. Not another soul in sight as we run the brightening shoreline. The tide is rolling in and seagulls spot the beach. They too seem to be waiting. The tidal pools created on the beach reflect the colors of the sky as orange, gold and red begin to swirl together against the horizon. A ball of fire seems to lift from the ocean. I stand in awe. It’s 6:57.

The next day I do it again. This time there is a small cloud in the path where she rises, her rays shooting out to the sides letting me know she is there. 6:56. The next day I do it again. A thin sheen of haze along the horizon causes variations in her colors as she arrives at 6:54. Tide higher. Two people walk by. Finally today I do it one last time. Cloudy with snow on the way. I can’t see her, but know she is there at 6:53 as the beach brightens and the gulls begun to squawk.

Every day she came! Every day at exactly the time she was expected. How many other things in our lives are as dependable as her?

The rise of the sun is an event. Magical. Unlike other events though, you can always get a front row seat, it starts on time, its different every single time, it’s never crowded, it happens every day and best of all, it’s free!

I am heading back up the beach toward the path and can feel her warmth on my back. I realize I almost forgot an important part of being witness…….

I turn to face her and spread my arms and heart open. ‘You are beautiful, awesome, magnificent, incredible, dependable, powerful, life giving, warm and bright’ I tell her….out loud. ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you!’

As we run back through the neighborhood I have a new found lightness. I can see people stirring in their homes. A car drives by. An albino squirrel crosses our path. Robins line the telephone wires, warming themselves by the first rays. A New Day has begun.

In a relationship with the sun,
SARAH