The Way to Start a Day

I’m a sucker for sunrise.

Anywhere. Down under. Up ‘n over. On this island, or any other. Sunny side up. Poking through. Escalating into a full-on blazing orb. Just gimme sun.

Which is why, at the exquisitely godly hour of 6 am, on a SUNday, I was already walking on the mountain, because, really, where else (ok, other than tucked in and under a duvet, with a hot cup of tea and the New York Times Arts section) would I rather be than on a hilltop, greeting le grand soleil?

Nowhere.

Just the other day, I found on a bookshelf a micro-thin paperback book gifted to me by my sister many years ago. Written by Byrd Baylor and illustrated by Peter Parnall, this little gem is titled The Way to Start a Day… which is, pretty much, the way I felt this morning, overwhelmed, overcome by the sheer radiance, the shadow-play, the quiet, the sky.  Excerpts herewith 😉

The way to start a day is this –

Go outside

and face the east

and greet the sun

with some kind of blessing

or chant

or song

that you made yourself

and keep for

early morning…

When you feel the sun

you’ll feel

the song too.

Just sing it.

But

don’t think you’re

the only one

who ever worked

that magic…

A morning

needs

to be sung to.

A new day

needs

to be honored.

Didn’t the pharoahs

of Egypt

say

the only

sound

at dawn

should be

the sound of

songs

that please

the morning sun?

They knew

what songs

to sing.

People

always

seemed to know…

And

everywhere

they knew

what gifts

the sun

wanted…

Some people

still

know.

When the first

pale

streak of light

cuts

through the

darkness,

wherever they are,

those people

make offerings

and send

strong

mysterious

songs

to the sun.

They know

exactly

how to start

a day…

It had to be

sunrise.

And it had to be

first

sudden movement.

That’s

when all

the power of

life

is in the

sky.

Some people

say

there is

a new sun

every day,

that it

begins

its life

at dawn

and lives

for one day

only.

They say

you have to

welcome it.

You have to

make the sun

happy.

You have to

make

a good day

for it…

If the sky turns a color

the sky never was before

just watch it.

That’s part of the magic.

That’s the way

to start

a day.

SO…

After gazing and basking in wonderment, soaking in Vitamin D, straining my eyes to make out the mountains along the horizon line, I stood in mountain pose – due east – with palms touching in front of my heart.

I closed my eyes and opened my heart. I gave thanks, stretched, twisted, bent sideways and backwards, and with muted sounds that only an astute cyclist might have heard, I sang Here Comes the Sun, and then switched to the more mantra-like Om Mani Padme Hum.

A gift to the sun, to the day, to myself. Try it, you might not be able to help yourself do the same, come next SUNday…