Stop, Look and Listen

It is the time just before dawn. I am looking through my “viewfinder,” awaiting the sunrise. It is still dark and the night is silent. A slight breeze stirs the silence and the leaves rustle, as if in anticipation for the sun to rise. Even the birds are quiet, still sleeping. At the edge of the far eastern horizon, a pinkish, yellow light barely appears.

I sit on my deck, patiently watching and waiting. Gradually, the eastern skyline begins to glow – a creamy, soft yellow now. There is enough light to see the outline of the barely-budding trees in my back yard. Peace still reigns – I am the only person awake in my world.

In a moment of time, the northern edge of the sun peeks over the horizon. Brilliant golden yellow begins to light the sky. Light, fluffy clouds, like cotton candy, float across the blue expanse. I hear mother birds beginning to chirp – waking their babies for the new day. And before I realize the passage of time, the sun, in all its glory, is above the horizon, lighting my world. I am inspired by the new day, another opportunity to live and love and laugh.

Lights in neighborhood homes begin to twinkle through windows as families wake for work and school. They have missed the extraordinary that I have seen this morning. You see, all of us are so busy in our own ordinary world that we never take time to think about the extraordinary that is all around us. We take it for granted that, weather permitting, the sun will rise each day. We take for granted the joyous sound of mother birds singing to their babies. We take for granted the lace of bare branches outlined against a barely illuminated sky. There is extraordinary all around us – we just need to stop, look and listen.