Pre-Dawn....

I find strength each day when I can be up and operational before the sun rises. There is something cosmically energizing about beating the Sun to the day. I feel more alive, more awake, more in the present when I can stand on the back deck, cuppa-Joe in hand and smile as the first pink clouds appear.

There is a large pine tree due east of my house, and over the last twenty years I have watched it grow, until now it too stands with me to greet the morning. I watch as the first rays of light sift through the highest pine needles, and sometimes it seems as if the tree is stretching to get just a little more light a little sooner.

It is usually quiet at this time of the moring. The dogs are still curled up, nose-to-tail, dreaming of rabbits and squirrels. The cat, although awake in that never-asleep way cats do everything, stares at me from under the covers of the bed. SHE is still asleep, gathering her strength for another day of dealing with small children learning to learn.

The air is cool, and crisp, as if I was standing in an invisble shower of energy. The coffee is warm i n my hand as I cast another glance at my friend the pine. The last stars of the night are slowly going to sleep, until night wakes them to dance again above my head.

I keep still, hoping to slow the rising Sun, so that I can compress this moment just a bit more. I often close my eyes and let my ears explore the sounds around me. I can hear the sparrows chasing each other through the Modesto ash trees around the front and side yards, and a mockingbird harrassing the neighbors cat. A slight breeze send the leaves of the Chinese Pistachio tree beside the gargage stirring...and that starts other memories.

For now let is suffice that this tree was planted in memory of our dog Abigail. A runt-o-the litter black labrador, she found a place in my heart, and our home. She died at the age of four, the victim of a rare blood cancer in dogs. Her death hurt, and planting that tree has helped heal that wound to some degree. I often entertain myself with the thought that when I hear the wind in the leaves of that tree, and think of Abby, she thinks of me. Sentimental, yes. Realistic, no. Necessary, absolutely.

So pre-dawn is the time for self-energization, appreciation of nature, counting sleepy stars, and remembering absent friends. Next time life seems hard, or unfair, give yourself the gift of an early morning.

Mustang