Thoughts on the Sunrise

I lived in the city when I was a child. I slept in and never saw the sun rise. When I was working on the flight deck of the USS Kitty Hawk I worked from 7 PM to 7 AM and I saw the sun rise every morning 7 days a week, but there was no grandeur to it. The sun popped up on the ocean's horizon and it was daytime. When I worked at Litton, my commute to work was always challenging, facing into the sun and trying to see well enough to see the road and not hit another vehicle. Now here on the farm, I can sit at my dining room table, look out our south facing windows, drink my coffee and finally appreciate every moment of the rising sun. It starts as a small red glow and gradually begins to bathe the woods to the south in yellow light. Some spots are bright while others are hidden in dark green shadows. Minute by minute the display changes as the sun rises degree by degree in the eastern sky. Out at sea there is nothing to reflect the changing light and shadow. In town the rows of houses just do not have the same effect. Looking into the woods shows a mosaic pattern of light and dark. A shrub up close can be in shadow, while a tree farther down the hill can become a bright background for the shrub. Now that I have the time to sit here and enjoy the sunrise, I am happy to see it.