Sunrise

The salt on the still icy sidewalk crunched beneath my feet, as I walked up the hill towards the college. My gaze wandered to the snowy hills; the clouds, a blanket of down tucked around the sleeping mountains. Night clung to the edges of the sky, not wanting to release her hold. In front of me the first rays of sunlight appeared. Turning, I looked to the eastern sky, where dawn was beginning to make her entrance. The blanket of down was covering the mountains to the east as well, except for a small hole where one would expect to see the face of a child peeking out, instead the first red and golden rays of the sun.

The beauty of it shocked me. As I gazed at a sun rise that could have been painted by one of the Masters, I was stunned.

We rush around this world trying to acquire more than our neighbor; trying to find the beauty, the joy. We collect for the sake of having; art, books, objects d’ art, homes, vehicles, friends, children. We put our possession on display for the world. See how wonderful I am, look at all that I have. My things, are they not lovely, therefore am I not lovely? In an age where there are those that would gladly pay more than some make in a year for a lovely to hang on the wall, I wonder how many stop to just watch the sun rise?

If I am lucky, I will live through 31,025 sun rises. As I am well into my thirtieth year, over 11,000 have passed. Of those, I can recall maybe 5 or 6. Where was I for the other 11,000 plus? Too busy? Too preoccupied? On my way to other things, as I was this morning, when I happened to turn around? Probably. Rushing from place to place just to accomplish something, which I will more than likely never take the time to truly enjoy.

On rare moments like this, when I stand still long enough to hear the whisper of the earth in my ear; my thoughts always turn to my children, those which I hold most dear. Boxes and albums filled with photos clutter my closets. Snapshots, brief moments captured on cellophane in a futile attempt to stop time. How many of those moments were fully lived and enjoyed? In how many was the focus on the acquisition of a synthetic memory?

We try to make sure that our children have the best of everything, regardless of whether or not we can afford it. Soccer, Little League, ballet, gymnastics, scouts, piano lessons, swim team, learning toys, book clubs, educational outings, vacations, pta (you have to make sure that other peoples children are provided for as well), don’t forget to read to them - an hour every night, no TV –wait, educational shows are a must, oh and eat your veggies. In our quest to give them the best as defined by our modern society, what about the best that was given to them at birth? Two parents that love them, the world that was created for them, time. Time, time just to be with them, time to explore the world at their own pace, time to play and learn and love. Just time.

Oh, well…I need to get back to planning my scouting project. But I do wonder about the 20,000 sun rise that I may have left; how many of them will I notice, how many of them will I enjoy, how many of them will I share with those that I hold most dear?