Today I got up early to see the sunrise. I am more of a sunset kind of gal, a night owl, who always thought one gets as much bang for the buck with a sunset as one gets with a sunrise. However, today I decided to get up early to shake things up and to step out of my comfort zone and my routine. When I got up this morning, I didn’t realize it was raining until I got into my car at 5:15 AM. When I saw the light rain once I was in my car, I decided to continue along with my plans. ” Life”, as the old saying by John Lennon goes, “is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”
I traveled to the beach to see the long-awaited, much revered sunrise and couldn’t believe it when the rains began to come down more steadily, accompanied with thunder and lightening as well. When I finally arrived at the beach and found a creative access to the beach with all the beach parking lots closed here in my county in Florida because of the Covid pandemic, the rain stopped just as I was getting out of my car. I walked to the beach and couldn’t help but think about how lucky I was and how lucky I am.
The sky began to show some signs of light at 6:15 AM, and the sunrise happened at 6:41 AM, but it was hard for me to see the sunrise because of the cloud cover. I was initially disappointed that I couldn’t see the sun actually rise above the Eastern horizon, but I enjoyed the moments nonetheless. I saw a woman with silver hair, much older than me, doing yoga on the beach.
I saw birds flying peacefully above the waves at the shore. I saw several people running along the edge of the beach, and I saw two surfers greeting the morning from inside the water. I decided I would wait and watch the morning gradually unfold before my eyes before leaving the beach. I am glad I did, as I literally saw the poetic silver lining in the clouds above me. What a way to start my day. There is a silver living to this pandemic afterall, it seems. I often tell my daughter that the sun will still rise and set on any given day, despite what happens during the day. The moon will rise, too. No matter how bad something gets, we can always count on that, and life still goes on.
“Birds flying high
You know how I feel
Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Breeze driftin’ on by
You know how I feel
It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good
I’m feeling good…”
-“Feeling Good” by Michael Buble
Once the sun fully illuminated the beach, I saw all kinds of surprises that I didn’t notice in the dark. Dune sunflowers dotted the landscape, and there were so many beautiful shells beneath my feet.
“Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun
And I say, it’s all right
Little darling
It’s been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling
It seems like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun
And I say, it’s all right
Little darling
The smiles returning to the faces
Little darling
It seems like years since it’s been here…”
-“Here Comes The Sun” by the Beatles, written by George Harrison
I have decided that there is something special about sunrise, watching the day unfold with endless possibilities and life anew…….
Life is good. Try to see the silver linings anywhere you look today. Enjoy today as a brand new start. Enjoy every day as a brand new start. Today is the day full of endless possibilities if you look for them after the sun rises.
Carpe diem, friends……………
Carpe Diem with Caye 