I am not a morning person. Although my definition of early has shifted over the years from a teenage “before 10AM” to the more recent “before 7AM,” I still cringe a bit when asked to arrive anywhere before 8:30. This week, I started a new temp job (hurray for working!) that starts at 7:30 in the morning. For me, that is super early.
As I drove to work one morning, I thought of how much of my enjoyment depends on my focus. I could focus on being sleepy and how early it was, or I could choose differently. That is not hard on a beautiful spring morning in Virginia. The interstate highways here have been called “green tunnels” and in summer especially, that description is accurate. Mile after mile, all you see at times are the trees to your left and the trees to your right. Not in early spring, though.
In early spring, the trees are just beginning to unfurl their leaves. Rather than a blanket of deep green, the landscape is painted in soft pastels, delicate greens and even yellows. Scattered among them, blooming redbuds add splashes of purple and dogwoods a dash of white. It is as if the roadway were decorated for Easter. The early morning light with its golden glow added to the beauty. Nearly to work now, I gazed out over green, rolling fields partially hidden in the lingering morning mist. Dashing through a patch of mist hanging over the street was like slipping through a veil.
Had I whined and wheedled my way into a later start time, I would have slept through the morning light and missed much of the mist as it burned off in the sun. If I had spent the drive complaining to myself, I would have been blind to the beauty surrounding me. I am still not a morning person, but I am learning to appreciate the early morning hours. It is growing on me.
There is always something negative to steal our focus if we let it. If you look, you will find one. It gets easier the more you look; you can get quite good at it. The trick is in learning not to look, or at least not to linger. I was not excited to get out of bed at 5AM, but I did not dwell on that.
The opposite is also true. If you look for the positive, like the beauty around you, you will also find that. It’s not always as obvious as redbuds and morning mist, but it is there. If you look, you will find it. If you believe it is there, you will find it regardless of the situation.
Even in quarantine, you can look out and see the spring flowers if you are blessed with such a view. You can look around and see people helping one another – bringing food to the immune-compromised, sewing masks, or sharing where to find sought after supplies. You can look within and find a greater appreciation for those we long to see in person once again. Focus on those things, on the redbuds in your life. And remember, this too shall pass.
Love this story!