Category: Thought for Today

“I knew who I was this morning, but I’ve changed a few times since then.” – Lewis Carroll

I get up early, around 4AM. The house is quiet, the neighborhood still asleep. As far back as I can remember, I’ve taken morning walks, starting out while it’s still dark in order to see the sky change as the sun comes up. The sky before the sun rise is just as remarkable, as it changes from inky navy to increasingly lighter shades of blue and gray. Louie, our Lab/Boxer mix, accompanies me on my walks now. He’s good company, if you don’t mind stopping every 15 feet so his nose can follow a scent that has distracted him.

There aren’t a lot of street lights in my neighborhood and the rows of maple, oak, and birch trees that canopy the sidewalks block out what little light there is. The mysterious tunnel like experience of being surrounded by dark foliage ignites the imagination, makes you wonder what’s around the next block, what’s hiding in the bushes, on the other side of thick tree trunks.

We encounter so few people around at that time of day that when we do see someone, it’s a bit of a shock. There are the regulars of course, the lady that delivers newspapers in her minivan with the yellow blinking light on top. The old man who drives a three wheel bike and collects cans from all the garbages around town. Once in a while we’ll come across a jogger or biker. But for the most part the only life we encounter is the light coming windows of random houses. I have to wonder, what are they doing in there? Are they getting ready for work or did they just get home? Are they insomniacs passing the time by watching infomercials? Do they just love the morning like me?

Morning holds all the possibilities of the day for a short time. But then the alarm clocks sound and the rest of the world rolls out of bed. The mystery of morning fades, stamped out once again by routine of every day.

Midwestern winters are an endurance race, the ironman of seasons. It’s not the cold, snow, and never ending winds that burn your skin and bring tears to your eyes. It’s not the dirty slushy roads, icy sidewalks, and salt stains on your shoes. The real pain of winter is how long it is. The first few months are ok. You have Thanksgiving and Christmas, the promise that New Years brings. But by February, March, and even into April, it’s as if it will never end. And it’s not just those of us who despise all that is winter (myself included), even those who love winter are complaining at this point. The whole attitude of the community changes and you hear conversations as you walk through the grocery store or workplace, “Is it ever going to be spring again?”

So you see, summer is a gift to be cherished. Wisconsin summers are almost as perfect as you can get. I often wonder why it can’t be this way year round, but would we appreciate it as much? We cram as much as we can into each day because we know it won’t last. It’s inevitable, winter will come looking for us again. But we don’t talk about that. Not yet. For now we spend as much time as we can outside, camp fires, boat rides, baseball games, cookouts, sitting on the deck with a bottle of wine and the quiet of a cool summer night. We let the chores go, don’t worry about the laundry or the floors that need to be swept. Those things can wait. We need to store up as much sunshine in our bones as possible, to survive the months ahead.

This is my first post. I don’t expect anyone to read my thoughts here, nor do I expect to make any money. My sincere hope is that all the thoughts and ideas bouncing off the walls of my gray matter will find a home here. A soft place to land.