Sunrise Summer

I think it's pretty common knowledge that I am generally not a morning person. I'm the type that sets 3 alarms, each 15 minutes apart—the type that wakes up as late as possible before leaving the house—and the type (as basically anyone I've ever lived with can attest to) that always looks bewildered and confused by everything for at least the first 30 minutes of the day.

I'm a sunset, not sunrise kind of human being.

And yet—this summer I have come to love, love, love this beautiful and sacred time of day.

Between working on the farm and making my LoCo deliveries, I wake up before or with the sun five days a week. Each time, I'm never disappointed.

There's the coolness of the air,
the stillness of the land,
the beauty of the Sun's rays peeking over the Eastern horizon.

This "Great Eastern Sun," as I learned about at a Shambhala Buddhist meditation, represents wisdom and discipline. Like the steadfast, rising sun, it is about continuing forward and "waking up to your life." It is about embracing the new day and illuminating it with our awareness.

So beautiful.

And while I haven't forgotten about sunsets— each one here made even more astonishing by the not-so-distant Rockies that they silhouette—there really is just something magically special about all the sunrises that I've had the privilege to be a part of this summer.

Of course…all that stuff I said at the beginning still continues to be true… I still set 3 alarms; I still wake up as late as possible before leaving the house, and yes, I'm still a confused, bewildered mess for the first 30 minutes of the day.

But once I'm finally out there…hmmm. What a sunrise! What a morning!

Definitely the best way to start a day.