Monday, October 17, 2016

October 17- Watching The Sunrise

What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives? E. M. Forster


  There is a beach, five minutes from my home. If the sunrise calls to me I go, to witness. I sit on my car hood and wait. Our earth is rotating around this star made of energy light. Once a day we turn into this light which we call rising but it's more a going toward. We turn away during the night and re-turn at dawn. As I sit expectantly, I see light on the horizon. It accentuates the shadows and makes the deepest contrast. The darkness is darker,dark because of the light.



Then ever so slowly the fire orb appears. I can't look into the brightness. My eyes look more at the expanse of heaven and notice how the clouds receive light. Pockets of brightness peek out of the thinest layers. 



    Water seems to swallow the light, reflecting and embracing at the same time. My heart aches at the beauty. Surely I should want to re-turn to this light. Why would I ever choose darkness over shadow. But I do sometimes. If the sunrise teaches me anything it is to trust in the break of day. There has been a sunrise 22, 995 times during my life. I should trust something with such a track record. Most of the sunrises of my life have come without notice. I wish to be more mindful of those I have left. 


Sunrise
Mary Oliver

You can
die for it-
an idea, 
or the world. People 
have done so, 
brilliantly, 
letting
their small bodies be bound 
to the stake, 
creating
an unforgettable
fury of light. But 
this morning, 
climbing the familiar hills
in the familiar
fabric of dawn, I thought 
of China, 
and India
and Europe, and I thought
how the sun 
blazes
for everyone just
so joyfully
as it rises 
under the lashes
of my own eyes, and I thought
I am so many! 
What is my name? 
What is the name
of the deep breath I would take
over and over
for all of us? Call it 
whatever you want, it is
happiness, it is another one
of the ways to enter
fire. 


I am writing for 31 days this October about Island Life. Click here to see the other days of writing.




This month I am being more mindful of the moment. It is part of my year long exploration of mindfulness. You can read more about my Year of Mindfulness here.

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos...awesome quote...wise words from you.

    Thank you for blessing me this morning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The photos are stunning! I like your comments about the faithfulness of the sunrise. It's true that too many of them come and go without our notice.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If given the choice I prefer a less tropical beach. How lucky you are to live so close by one. Beautiful photos!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I enjoyed all of the descriptions. And yes we miss most of the sunrises of our lives. Maybe so many of them in our symbolic lives too.
    Thank U

    ReplyDelete

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