5:48 AM

“The early morning has gold in it's mouth.”

--Benjamin Franklin

He's right. I agree with Ben about this but not because I can be productive. I agree because the morning, this particular morning, opened up beautifully. I have tons of free time now and I don't have to get ready for much of anything save the occasional early dental appointment. I do get up early because years of doing it have stuck with me. I find it hard to sleep in as I regard it as a waste of good time, even if nothing is on my calendar.

Today, I opened my eyes, rolled over and saw it was 5:45. I was lying there wide awake and thought, “I might as well get up.” I get up, push the excited dog out of the way to turn off the a/c and get into my usual summer dress, tee shirt and swimshorts. I then opened the door to my bedroom and stepped out into the hallway, and I was hit with a wall of residual heat from the day before.

I pass by the thermostat and wonder just how warm is it at this time? It was 82 degrees in the living room. Wow! I thought to myself, it's not going to take much to climb fast today.

I go out by the kitchen door, with the dog bounding out into the backyard and I smell that summer morning air. There is nothing like it and it never lasts more than a couple of hours. As I step into my backyard, I am blinded by the low rising sun that's already heating everything it alights upon.

I sit down on a crappy lawn chair I own and watch the dog bounce around the yard, sniffing here, peeing there and I see that golden light that slants through the trees, fences and spider webs. I can be one of those people whose surroundings can effect my mood. Then again, who isn't like this? So, I'm sitting there, looking around the yard feeling pretty damn good about things. There is nothing special about June 21^st, except it being the first day of summer; and that would've been missed by me had I not looked at the date. Still, I managed to have that elusive pleasure that never can last more than a few hours. True, it's short, but I'll take it.

These summer mornings aren't dead quiet like a November morning can be, but it feels quiet. The birds are chirping away, the bugs are buzzing and I can hear the distant, dull roar of Route 95 that's about two miles from me. But, even with this noise, it feels as if it belongs.

And what's to come, since we're not into the Dog Days, are the morning ground fogs. Those I like as they seem to be conjured by some unknown force. In Pawtucket, we can't get those really thick fogs you see a mile to the east in the thick woods of Rehoboth. Here though, about 20 feet up into the trees, you can get that layer of mist crawling along like an unhurried stream. They never live long, as the first hour of sun will make them vanish before your eyes. All mists, and everything about a morning, vanishes in time. 

 

Carpe Diem! Grab it while you can!