This morning I woke up about a half hour before sunrise. I thought, “Oh no, now I have to decide! Should I go back to sleep, taking a chance I will miss sunrise, or get up?” I propped myself up to look out of my window. The sky was blazing orange in the northeast; that was my answer. I did not regret my decision. I felt the soft silence of the early morning enveloping me. I found it so easy to put my full attention on tiny details– like a small, white fluttering moth, the faint sound of distant birdsong.

Over the course of about 45 minutes, the blazing sky darkened. Soft, warm drops of rain landed on my face as I sat on the front step; it felt like a blessing. The sky, beautiful and dark, punctuated my understanding that getting up before dawn was the best thing to do.