You are reading the ongoing writing process for a new book of daily reflections/meditations. Already published by this author is “Cast A Long Shadow”, 90 daily reading for our journey through life. This book is now available as a Kindle e-book, as well as still being available direct from the publisher, on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.ukand other Amazon European sites
Early
There is something magical about the early morning.
One of my childhood memories is of getting into the car for a vacation trip – we would always leave really early in the morning to avoid traffic.
The familiar then became unfamiliar; our house was being shut up and the car packed with more than it normally carried.
Out in the street it was unusually quiet and even smelt different than normal.
And when we left it was with a real sense of adventure – of doing an unusual and somehow daring thing.
What is it about the early hours that is so special?
I think that it is really about us and our perceptions.
There is a natural rhythm to our lives – as human creatures we are programmed to work during the day, and sleep at night, and both states are familiar to us.
The transition from sleeping to waking is one where we slowly become aware of our surroundings – where we come out of our own minds and into the world around us.
We are used to the transition – but when we change our habit – by getting up particularly early for example – we suddenly become aware of that changed state in a new way.
Being up early means that we are outside of our norm, and then we see things in a different light – booth literally and figuratively.
And this is like any change in our daily routine – at first all we see is the strangeness.
When we are in a new job, or a new city, or a new relationship, it is like the early morning – we notice the differences from what we have seen before, and how odd things appear.
But like the early morning fades into the normal day-to-day routine, so our strangeness at a new can fade into familiarity, and we forget about how strange it was.
Perhaps though, like my memory of the early morning vacation trips, we should hold onto the memory of the newness, to help us remember how special it felt to be new.
Being early can give us a new perspective and outlook, and that should be savored.
Every Day 