Good morning, Monday

Monday, March 12th, 2012
Central Park East, top: 6:14am, bottom: 7:07am

Back to pitch black mornings!  Boy, was it hard to drag myself out of bed when the clock ticked 6.  I was definitely deep in sleep having a grand time in dream-world.  What's getting me upright & out of bed consistently is the fact that I have Cell Bio and I use the mornings (8:15-10:30 or so) to get a lot of studying done.  I just hate coming home after a long day and studying - I'd rather work out and spend time with Sofie and Brian. 

It was actually a bit creepy this morning - NOBODY was out.  Now my hypothesis is validated - people choose cold over dark.  It was a stunning morning, though.  I was a little concerned about letting Sofie off leash until it became a little lighter - she becomes invisible in the dark.  I trust her, though, so off she went.  She surprised me by staying closer than usual.  I'm not sure why, since she should be able to see better in the dark than I can.  Maybe she sensed my worry.  It was dark for almost the entire walk.  Then when I rounded the bend at the Great Lawn, the sun started to come up.  Now, it was warm this morning (see below).  When the sky started turning all different colors - pink, red, blue, white, I was thinking about the warm-ish air on my skin and the birds chirping noisily.  I was alone with my little rambunctious dog - her joy (are dogs joyful, or is that just how they are?) and energy are infectious.  I stopped for a moment and watched the sunrise and I was filled with elation.  I was having all sorts of sensory memories of childhood.  The day that Dad would sing "Tar ar ar boom de ay, we can wear our shorts today," was a favorite of Spring.

I also was remembering Easter when we would run around and search for chocolate eggs and bunnies that the Easter bunny (blessed be the Lord ;), would leave for us to find.  I also remember the feeling of thinking "only a few more months til summer!" 

So standing there - I was filled with the elation that keeps me seeking the sunrises - keeps me searching for the special, different, sort-of sacred times of the day.  If we only experience work - even if we like that work- and the obligatory parts of the day, very little remains that is our choice or only for our pleasure and contemplation.  The sunrise is my choice - my time alone in a big park with a little dog.