Morning Has Broken

I have never been a morning person, although for many years I got up at 4:30 a.m.

Dragging myself out of bed hours before the sun came up was never my idea of a good time. But I would feed and walk my dogs, go for a 3-mile run, then shower and get ready for work. My work day began at 7:30 a.m. I guess my body got used to waking up early, because I still frequently awaken long before dawn. I also inherited my parents' propensity for waking up very early every morning.

One recent morning I decided to get up rather than pretending that I would fall back asleep. It was still very dark outside, so after taking care of my dogs, I decided to go for a walk. After a few minutes, the sky started to lighten, and the hulking outline of the Sandia Mountains became visible. Then the eastern horizon began to turn pale pink and orange. 

After my walk, I took my small dogs for a walk, something I won't do until the sun is up due to the presence of numerous coyotes in the area. If they are near us, I want to be able to see them. After our walk, it was time for a cup of hot tea while I read the morning newspaper.

I actually enjoy being outside early in the morning, despite the grumbling about waking up so early. Especially at this time of year, the air is cool and crisp (45 degrees F), there is almost no traffic, and the day feels new and clean. Some mornings, I can see the mass ascension of hundreds of hot air balloons in the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Depending on the wind, some of them fly right over my house. Even without the balloons, however. I enjoy a wonderful walk on a beautiful fall morning.

In just a few weeks we will be forced to move our clocks back, which means the sun will rise an hour earlier. This is not a change I like, as this means I will wake up even earlier (my bedroom is on the east) and the sunset will set an hour earlier, making for long, dark evenings.

So I guess the only thing under my control is whether or not I choose to get up early and enjoy the quiet and solitude of an early fall morning in the high desert.