So why would any normal person get up at 4 in the morning? I don't ask myself that question too much anymore, probably because what I find when I do get up is the quiet I so desperately crave. Course I have always been an early riser for some reason, even as a child. And again, I can say at that particular time of life, I was craving peace and quiet, and this was in a very small town in south carolina, for sure off the beaten path.
So what' so important about peace and quiet? Well for me, it's the only time I can hear the crickets, a long lost friend of mine, that was used at the end of a cane fishing pole. Good bait for sure, but for now, it's just that lovely sound they make very early in the morning. I hear no traffic, no slamming doors, no leaf blowers, mowers or garbage trucks. It amazes me at how engines and electrical gadgets, supposedly that get the job done quicker, can completely steal the sounds of nature. So disruptive. But this is the world now, and for several reasons, I am not able to find a quiet and peaceful place in which to live. I make do with what I have before me, and remind myself the reasons are valid and good.
But for the meantime, my crickets will do, and I am grateful to have my noisy desktop computer that goes clickety clack under my fingers. However do wonder why people are so anxious to fill up the quiet. That quiet that soothes the soul and refreshes the mind. Like an etch a sketch board, where you can draw and write, and when you're done, turn it upside down, give it a shake, and it's all erased. We have the gift of a clean slate in which to fill for the day.
Course the sad part is not realizing that we can fill it with whatever we choose. We make choices every single day with how we wish to do that, but sadly, I think too many people are so haunted by their choices, priorities and direction, that they feel it necessary to each day find some other way to fill up the hours with some activity that' not absolutely necessary, but seems like the right thing to do at the time.
So while that goes on each day, you find less and less time to stop and appreciate or make future plans of slowing down, checking things off your busy list to appreciate the quiet. And just because you now think that it's ok to slow down a bit, does not mean you have become a slug, or lacking in productivity.
I'm not exactly sure what I'm shooting for here, for I was just trying to convey my feelings and reactions to a day that starts at 4am. I myself love it, will continue to do it, though it can vary between 4 and 5.....and listen for those heavenly creatures that can only be heard while the rest of the world sleeps. My own little quiet haven in which to draw strength, courage and hope.
For me....I would rather go to bed at 9 and get up at 4 or 5, than to go to bed at 10 or so and sleep till 9. If you have never tried this, I think it might be time. Maybe you've never even heard a cricket before, or heard them in a very long time.....so enjoy.
