Photo by Diana Scalera
The morning of New Year’s Day, I happened to wake up early before the sunrise, which is rarely the case for me. Out of pure curiosity I rolled up the curtains fully to see the sky and the far mountains across my town, and realized that the atmosphere out there was so clean and quiet, even including the neighborhood parking lot and streets. I noticed everything there was so still in the veil of darkness and felt as if everyone held their breath, waiting for the particular moment—-the sun’s appearance. So I, too, kept still and quiet, standing by the window and just watching how the sky and the landscape would be changing.
The darkness gradually faded, and bits of red began to tint the clouds here and there. It was a bird’s cry which disrupted the silence, and it was the first sign for the rise of the sun. Other birds also joined with their calls as if they could not help but cry out of joy. When the bright light of the sun flowed out of the mountain ridge and penetrated through the landscape and me, I experienced “joy” myself, with my eyes closed, filled with overwhelming white light from head to toe.
Through this small drama, I felt as if I experienced Nature’s direct and powerful language, her pure feelings of joy and happiness, which I wanted to share with you at the beginning of this New Year.
Hiromi
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Dear Hiromi,
I love how a quiet moment helped you be with the dawn and all it brings to life on earth. I especially loved how it helped you find joy in your body. Positive energy is all around us. When we give ourselves time to open to it, it comes. Thank you for reminding us to hold space for what is always here.
I live in New York City. It is an ultra-urban place, but I have a window in which each morning, I can observe the sunrise. I only get natural light in my apartment in the early morning because the rest of the day, the sun is beyond my building. But I can take in that immense beauty where ever I am in my apartment by seeing the light patches and shadows for a few hours. I also live near the East River, which is quite large and powerful. I can walk out my door and stand on the shore of the river. I connect with all the life the river brings–the plants, the birds, and the butterflies. The moon impacts the tides, and I can know what time of the day it is by observing the movement of the water.
While I understand how others might not see my world as “natural,” I am made whole by my connection to this natural environment that is so alive even though a built environment surrounds it.
Dear Hiromi
I am right there with you, wanting to share that moment, and I could…..because it felt so alive in you and in your own experience of yourself that I felt I could borrow some of that for myself too.
Thank you Kevin
Hiromi, your last words felt like they entered right into me and woke up a new sense of nature as a being with emotions. That rang true in me, and opened a possibility for more relationship, like I could allow myself to relate to nature as a spirit, a being, that expresses emotion, rather than a neutral force. Allowing that possibility feels potentially very delightful, like connecting with a long lost friend.Thank you for that. 🙂 “Through this small drama, I felt as if I experienced Nature’s direct and powerful language, her pure feelings of joy and happiness.”
Such a gem of a blog. I resonate with all the Colours in it! I, too, am often entranced by the sunrise and sunset. There is always a quietness present, like a feather of a blessing. Thank you, Hiromi, for being part of that moment in full awareness, and bringing it to us.
Happy New Year to you Hiromi!! A new day, a new dawn and a new you full of joy and happiness, sharing that joy and happiness with the sun! the joy that comes when we are suddenly released from the dark of the night into the bright sunshine. A beautiful prose image reflected in the photo