When I was in school I hated getting up in the mornings. Anything before ten o' clock was too early, and I would habitually stay in bed until the very last minute before throwing back the covers, washing up, eating, and running out the door to the carpool/bus stop/car. It got to the point where, if I didn't get at least seven hours of sleep (preferably nine) I would be bleary eyed for most of the morning and have uncomfortable knots in my stomach until I got to take a nap after school.
So voluntarily waking BEFORE six in the morning was inconceivable to me just a few short weeks ago! Oh, I would wake early for college classes, and later, for work as a teacher at an elementary school, but neither commitment got me out of bed before six-thirty. I would schedule most college classes for mid-morning and was blessed with only a ten to fifteen minute commute to work, thus allowing me to continue the stay-in-bed-until-the-last-possible-minute routine.
I must admit I found out about the 6:30am Saturday morning long runs only AFTER I had signed up with MASH. But, surprisingly, there was only a moment of "What have I done?" I consoled myself by remembering that I could nap later in the day, or even in mid-morning, since Tony would be able to watch the girls.
I never realized before just how beautiful sunrises are. I've seen countless sunsets; those in my parent's neighborhood as the sun set over the empty bluffs were amazing. I've seen the sun set on the California coast and off the shores of Hawaii, where a dazzling white line skims the top of the sun as it sinks seemingly into the water. But I may have seen one, maybe two sunrises, and these I don't remember.
There seems to be a different look to a sunrise as compared to a sunset. Sunrises are brighter, with more whites and pinks and grays reflecting off of the clouds, if any. Sunsets are more orange and red and yellow and fade quickly into the dark that follows on its heels. Both are beautiful, both stir something in the soul, both remind me of God's presence in the world.
When I drive eastward towards the sunrise I am struck with the realization of how many things a person can miss when the box we have carved in the world stays closed. What passes us by when we make no effort to change, to try, to succeed. When I step out of my car into the chilly dawn air I realize that yes, I did wake before six in the morning, and yes, I have survived. And then I wonder, what other things am I capable of?
Coming soon..."Could I Possibly Be Any Slower?!"
1 comment:
I LOVE running in the early mornings, when things are quiet and yes I feel God closer.
You are doing great!!
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