Hello,
Welcome.
When was the last time you really experienced a sunrise?
When was the last time you set your alarm early to wake up before the sun?
To step outside?
To watch the moon set?
The colors change?
And to experience the sunrise?
Most of us wake up and go to work every day.
And yes,
We probably see the sunrise.
But when was the last time we experienced the sunrise?
With all of our senses,
With our body and mind.
Stepping out of the house with the sole intention to see the sunrise.
To witness the new day begin with the eyes of a child.
For the first time,
Experiencing it,
Feeling it.
How do we do this?
It starts with an intention.
It starts with a goal.
To do something different,
To change our habit and routine.
Maybe it takes some planning.
Maybe you do have to set an alarm.
Maybe you have to prepare the night before.
Setting out all your clothes,
Especially if it's a wintery day.
You will feel so invigorated to see the sunrise if you experience it with the purpose of seeing it through the eyes of a child.
This is different than sitting in a bus watching the sunrise on our way to work.
This is different than getting the children in the car and noticing it in the rearview mirror.
This is taking some time out of your life to see the sunrise.
So how do we do it?
After the planning,
We get up early.
Maybe we don't even have our coffee in us yet or our tea or our breakfast.
We put our shoes on,
Our jackets.
We walk outside.
And then using all five senses to experience the sunrise.
Of course,
We use our vision,
Noticing the blues turning to grays and purples and pinks and oranges,
Noticing the sky lightening up,
Picking a destination.
It does not take long.
If it's too cold,
You can drive somewhere and then stand outside during the actual sunrise.
And obviously not staring at the sun as it rises,
But noticing the world in a 360-degree view.
We live in a sphere,
A globe,
So much to see if we just look up,
If we just look behind us to the sides.
Allow this view,
This sense of vision to awaken your spirit.
Be in awe of the colors you see,
Of the shadows you feel and start to notice the early morning sounds.
What birds do you see?
Hawks,
Eagles.
What do you hear as the world is starting to wake up?
The sounds of the city bustling or the silence in a rural community.
What do you smell?
What do you taste?
Enjoy these sensations.
And if joy is not the first thing that comes to you,
Allow any sensation that you feel to be felt and accepted.
No judgment,
No trying to change anything,
Just notice and experience it.
Notice the sensations on your skin,
The clothes,
The icy air on your cheeks.
Take it all in.
Enjoy the sunrise,
This moment to start anew.
We have the gift every day to start fresh and new with the sunrise.
Yesterday may not have been the day we had hoped for or planned,
But today is fresh and new.
Allow yourself to start the process of changing a habit.
Allow yourself kindness and compassion and forgiveness as you try something new.
We as humans have the opportunity to be our best selves every day,
To begin anew every day even if days,
Weeks,
Months,
Sometimes even years.
If all that time has passed and we have not been the self we want to be,
Use this next sunrise to start your day fresh.
I encourage you to set a tiny little goal.
Think about when the next time you can see and experience a sunrise.
Maybe it's not Monday through Friday.
Maybe it's Saturday or Sunday.
What can you do to see the sunrise,
Set an intention,
Have some loving kindness and compassion for yourself and make it a great day?
Thank you so much for the precious gift of your time.
Until next time.
