A few mornings ago, I woke, and struggled, slowly, to pull myself out of bed. As my feet touched the cold, hardwood floors and I wiped the sleep from my eyes, I noticed a pinkish glow on the bedroom wall. I knew that this meant a beautiful sunrise was happening, and I wasn’t about to miss it.
I threw off the covers and quickly made my way to the other side of the house, to watch it from the office window, losing myself in it for several moments, until it faded to a clear, blue sky. In moments like this, I’m happy to wake early. I don’t give it a second thought. It sets the tone for the rest of the day.
I thought I’d share one of my favorite morning poems with you. This is the title poem from Mary Oliver’s 2004 collection, Why I Wake Early.
Why I Wake Early
by Mary Oliver
Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who make the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and crotchety–
best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light–
good morning, good morning, good morning.
Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.
I hope you experience plenty of moments like this in the coming months, friends. Winter is perhaps the best season – in the midwest, at least – for beautiful sunrises.
xo, Aly