September 14, 2006

Today I saw the sunrise. OK, I know what you’re thinking… I’ve seen it before but quite honestly it’s been a few solid months since I actually took the time to really notice one. So I’ll do my best to describe it.

Daybreak: As I opened my van I glanced over the row of houses and trees across the street and could just make out dark silhouettes of clouds in the sky which was starting to brighten in the east. I turned the key and the engine quickly turned as a spark, petroleum products and a little luck combined to get the engine purring. I slowly made my way through the couple side-streets and it was 6:40 by the time I negotiated the right turn eastbound onto Killian Parkway joining a sea of cars as the morning rush was in effect.

Most cars still had their headlights on and they all had their brake lights burning brightly. I glanced up at the sky and noticed the first tinges of pink around the edges of a few clouds. I could already make out at least three types of clouds: a few patches of feathery, wispy clouds that seem to be way up near the edge of space, known as cirrus clouds; there were also a couple of what seemed like streams of flat, barely moving sheets, known as stratus clouds and I also counted about 12 huge clumps of puffy cotton ball-like clouds, cumulus.

I then took a long look at the cars around me and couldn’t help but wonder if anyone else was actually paying enough attention to appreciate the wonder before them. Sadly, it seemed that everyone else was consumed in their morning routine, a lady applying makeup, another attending to her children, a guy chatting away on his cell phone, another reading the paper, etc.

I stared back into the sky as it began to transform before my eyes, keeping an eye on the slow moving traffic. Slowly the sky went from a dull, dark blue into various shades of a beautiful turquoise. The edges of the clouds got these magnificent orange, yellow and crimson highlights.

As the sun approached the edge of the horizon it pushed along an orange glow which in turn pressed along the blue turquoise higher in the sky. As I got to the top of the Turnpike overpass I got my first good look at the entire sky, it was indescribable! So many shades of reds, purples, yellows, blues, whites, greys, oranges that it made your eyes dance and the imagination soar!

There was a bank of clouds sleeping right ocross the horizon so it was a few minutes before I actually saw the top edge of the sun. I was carried along in the traffic stream completely unaware of how much time had passed. Before I knew it I was at the ramp to the expressway and forty minutes had flown by. By this time the sun was about three quarters visible and it was a beautiful morning.