A Morning Respite

I woke up early this morning, well before 6. It's a bit earlier than my normal wake up time. Usually, I close my eyes and slip back into my dream world for another short trip into my imagination, but today I got dressed and took a walk around the block. The sun was less than an hour away from rising, so I had no problems seeing as I walked. Due to a slight haze, only a couple stars were visible in the sky. Traffic could be heard in the valley below me but after a couple minutes, the songs of the birds overtook it.

    The street was empty, no cars were “warming up” and no one was walking their dogs. It was only me and the birds. Returning to the house, I sat on a chair on the front porch and watched as Arcturus slipped between the limbs of a tree as it neared the western horizon. Lights on neighbors' houses turned on and off and the birds continued to chirp, heard but not seen. I sat and watched the sky as it brightened, and the last stars disappeared from view.

    I went into the house, back to where the radio was broadcasting noise about shootings, accidents and the weather to come. I brewed some coffee and went back outside to the quiet, the calm and the peacefulness. I sat down with a copy of The Sun magazine and read a story. While I read, robins chased each other around the yard. Woodpeckers rapped on tree trunks and dead limbs. The coffee smelled good and tasted even better. Two robins flew within inches of my leg as they played.

    Slowly the sun neared the edge of the hillside and colors returned to the edges. My morning respite was starting to turn into my Saturday. I took another sip of coffee and then headed back into the house, ready to continue with my day.