Watching the World Wake Up

Let it just be known- I'm not really a morning person. I mean, don't get me wrong, I can be pleasant enough in the morning- but how I ended up in a job where I'm generally up by 5:20 A.M. 3 days a week, and 6:15 the rest of the days is somewhat beyond me... Because in the morning, I feel like I'm running on low batteries- I'm unenergized and groggy. I'm quiet. I'm slower-moving. And if you need me to be responsive beyond "yes, no or okay" well then you better wait a while. 

That being said, I think one of my favorite things is watching the world around me wake up. One of the days here in Nantucket I woke up at 6:00 and drove down into town so I could do my run down there. Now, let's be real, my attention when running is so focused on "one foot in front of the other" and "don't stop breathing" that I don't notice as much as I wish I could. But, when I parked downtown there weren't any cars, really. A couple breakfast spots were open- but the people had yet to arrive to eat. There weren't any other runners (cobblestones I suppose are a slight deterrent). And the bikers had not yet begun their days. But when I stopped running about 30 mins later, the whole scene had begun to change. More cars were driving through the quaint, one-way roads. The Bean (my favorite cafe on the island) had a line of people waiting for their dose of caffeine. An older man sat on the bench on Centre St. reading a newspaper while sipping coffee. The light had changed. It was as if the whole town was gently rolling out of bed with a bright eyed and busy-tailed "good morning" greeting just for me! And I love that. It almost feels like I'm watching something secret- most people miss the wake up and only see a scene as what it is when they arrive. 

This morning I'm having another morning where I feel like I'm the first to greet the day and bid it good morning. I sit in the family room at 5:00 A.M. looking out glass doors (on the second floor). At first the sky is dark like night and I hear only the sounds of the clickety clack of my keyboard and my own quiet breathing. Not a sound echoes through the house. But as I sit and type and think, the dark moves up into the sky as a rainbow of light begins to spread, beginning at the horizon and working it's way to stretch into the sky offering new light and color. And with the day come new sounds. I hear stirring downstairs- someone's awake and having their own welcome into the day. I hear the footsteps and realize it's time to share the morning- the sound and smell of coffee brewing, the quiet conversations beginning to stir downstairs. And the whole world is waking up around me. Good morning, World.