A Dawn in June

Early mornings for me have always been about last-minute studying during exams, finishing assignments or catching flights - always about something to do, often to be done in a hurry.

Even when my daily commute to college or work took 2+ hours, I wouldn't wake up until the last possible minute. Even after waking up, on most mornings, my dad would find me dozing off in front of the cupboard midway through finding something to wear. Well, you get the drift!

During the 2021 lockdown, for the first time ever, I woke up early with no urgent agenda. No, it wasn't part of a resolution of any kind. I don't remember the reason now, but exactly on the 1st of June, I happened to wake up at 4:45 am. I got out of bed, not wanting to wake my husband, tiptoed out of the room and shut the door carefully behind me.

Once outside the bedroom and away from the whirring of the ceiling fan, I felt the still calm of the morning wash over me. My heart wasn't beating fast out of the anxiety of an upcoming exam, my mind wasn't rushing through items on a checklist, I wasn't glancing back at the clock to see if it was time to leave yet. It was just me and the morning. For once,  I had time on my hands. Plenty of it. And it felt wonderful!

I walked to the bathroom and finished my morning rituals. I made myself a cup of green tea, with some lemon in it. Then I walked to the far end of the house, opened the balcony door and sat down on the cane chair. And then it happened!


The sunrise! At about 05:15 am, a sword of light pierced a spot on the eastern side of the dark sky. A thick pink glow spilled out. Like fallen paint on a wet black canvas, it began to spread slowly, the colours blending into an inky blue. As I stood gazing, the pink turned to a warm orange and the blue turned several shades lighter. Patches of white clouds floated in. Birds began to chirp, breaking the silence of the still morning. Dawn had broken!


All these years, I thought to myself, and all my early mornings have always been about something or the other. Why, I wondered, hadn't it ever been about just waking up to watch the sunrise? Because, believe me, it was absolutely worth it!

PS:
Neither my pictures nor my words are doing justice to the grandeur of the scene I witnessed that day. You just have to see it for yourself to experience it!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I did wake up early the next several days SIMPLY to watch the sunrise!

I haven't made it a habit yet, for fear that it might lose its charm. Also, if I'm being honest, it's pretty hard to give up my early morning sleep (which is the best sleep in my opinion, especially when you have someone to cuddle with).

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